BANGKOK, 2 February 2014 – The Election Commission (EC) says it cannot announce the results of the general election yet as many constituencies were unable to hold an election.
Election Commission (EC) Chairman Supachai Somcharoen gave assurances that the election process had been conducted transparently and that all EC officials had done what they could to properly carry out the election.
Due to disturbances caused by groups of protesters, many constituencies, mainly in southern provinces of Thailand, were forced to close their polling stations. As a result, the EC, under the law, is unable to reveal the election results yet.
According to the Chairman, 83,813 polling stations, accounting for 89.2%, were able to carry out the election, while 69 constituencies in 18 provinces had to call off the process due to safety concerns.
Chairman Supachai earlier told EC officials nationwide that safety should be their first priority.
Lastly, Mr. Supachai expressed his appreciation to all eligible voters who showed up to exercise their rights, as well as to all related agencies who helped ensure the smooth conduct of this general election.
