BANGKOK, 14 June 2011 – The Election Commission (EC) has voiced no concern after the European Union (EU) announced that it would send representatives to observe the upcoming 3 July general election.
EC Chairperson Apichart Sukhagganond stated that the EU has already informed him of its intention, and his panel has no problem about EU observers since it is confident that it will be able to handle the election in an internationally accepted manner.
The chairperson added that apart from the EU, several other organisations have indicated their intention to observe the upcoming general election although the EC has not yet invited them.
Mr Apichart however stressed that all those organisations coming to observe the upcoming election must comply with the regulations set by the EC. He noted that the permit for EU observers is not made under any agreement or memorandum of understanding.
Asked whether any problem will arise if the EU does not certify the election result, the chairperson responded that the EU will certainly certify the election result in Thailand because it is arranged with recognizable standards. He reiterated that the observation of foreign representatives will have no binding results to the election.
