BANGKOK, Thailand – The Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) reported that all polling stations for the Bangkok Metropolitan Council, Bangkok governor, Pattaya City Council, and Pattaya mayor elections opened smoothly on June 28. All 6,628 polling stations in Bangkok and 113 in Pattaya opened as scheduled at 8 a.m., despite high turnout at some locations. The ECT encourages eligible voters to cast their ballots before polls close at 5 p.m. to select their local administrators and council members. Deputy Secretary-General Phasakorn Siriphakayaporn reminded voters to carefully check their ballot types. In Bangkok, the green ballot is for the governor candidate and the pink ballot is for the Metropolitan Council candidate. In Pattaya, the green ballot is for the mayoral candidate and the pink ballot is for up to six City Council candidates.
Voters should bring identification and comply with election laws. Ballots may not be removed from polling stations, photographed, or shown to others after marking. The ECT worked with the authorities in Bangkok and Pattaya to provide online checks of polling station locations and emergency response plans. In Bangkok, a fallen utility pole in Lat Krabang was cleared in time for normal voting, and a fire in Lak Si did not affect polling stations. Pattaya has backup power and emergency plans in place, and all 113 polling stations are indoors to minimize weather risks.
The ECT confirmed that corrected sample ballots are available at all Pattaya polling stations and encourages the public to observe voting, counting, and vote aggregation to support election transparency. (NNT)
