Yesterday's general election went smoothly in most constituencies nationwide although the fate of the poll remains uncertain due to legal problems lying ahead which could render it dull and void.
An election official holds an unmarked ballot paper during vote counting at a polling station in the compound of Wat Don Muang school after 3pm yesterday when voting ended. THITI WANNAMONTHA
The EC yesterday had to cancel voting at 10,283 polling stations in 69 constituencies nationwide. Poll reruns will be held for about 8.75 million affected by disruptions and other problems.
After the voting ended at 3pm yesterday EC chairman Supachai Somcharoen, along with four other commissioners, hold a press conference to summarise yesteday's elections nationwide.
89.2% of a total 93,952 polling stations nationwide could be opened for voting.
Voting was cancelled in 18 provinces with 69 constituencies. Of the 18 provinces, voting was called off in all constituencies in nine provinces while in the other nine provinces voting was cancelled in some constituencies.
Mr Somchai said the EC still cannot announce the poll results altogether nationwide.
All the poll results will be officially announced after all the votes from the advance voting and from overseas voting are combined.
The EC will also have to study the laws for holding the new round of advance voting scheduled for Feb 23.
Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn said even if yesterday's general election was mostly smooth, the political conflict and unrest has continued.
''If the EC rushes to solve the problems too much, this could only heat up the problems even more,'' Mr Somchai said, adding that the EC will meet to discuss poll reruns at the 69 affected constituencies.
He said about 13 million voters who could not exercite their right to vote made up about one fourths or 75% of the entire electorate.
Asked where the country will proceed after yesterday's elections, a senior government source said that more elections will be held in constituencies where there were disruptions.
These elections need to be held within 180 days according to the law, he said.
If yesterday's elections are declared null and void, we will "go through the election process again. We can do this as many times over and the result will be the same.", the source said.
The source admitted that the country's future status could be described as a state of political "limbo".
"The question is where does real power lie? Who holds legitimacy? No one," the source said.
The only way out of this situation is for all "stakeholders to agree to back down and come to the (negotiating) table," the source added.
Nakharin Mektrairat, a political scientist at Thammasat University, also admitted that there is no knowing when the eleciton process will actually end given there are disruptions and problems.
''For me, yesteday's elction was not a 'general' election, but it is something of public referendum,'' he said. This is because there were three groups of voters.
Those who opposed it and refused to go to vote as they wanted reform to precede the poll, those who voted for the Pheu Thai Party and those who went to the polls and vote ''no''.
If the number of these voters are more than the number of voters who voted for the Pheu Thai party, this could be interpreted in a public referendum fashion that suggests the majority of the people do not accept the caretaker governmenet, Mr Nakharin said.
Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday said she was satisfied that the poll went smoothly, despite disruptions to some polling units.
''I am happy that the elections were free of violence'' she said.
People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) Suthep Thaugsuban said yesterday's election had ''the smallest turnout'', with vote-buying rampant in Bangkok. Mr Suthep claimed he has obtained a video clip showing the vote-buying during the advance polling on Jan 26. He said the vote-buying took place at some polling units in full view of police officers.
Mr Suthep also said the government is now facing tough times as rice farmers are demanding the money owed to them under the rice-pledging scheme.
Mr Suthep said if and when the people wrest power from the government, thje next step will be to issue legislation to seize assets from Ms Yignluck and her allies and give the money back to the farmers.
Democrat Peputy leader Ong-art Klampaiboon said the party is gathering evidence to back its plan to ask the court to nullify the election.
He said he could not see how the election would resolve the political crisis as the vote result could not be announced for several weeks.
''Pushing ahead with the election is nothing but an attempt to prolong the government's stay in power.
''The government will use the result to claim it has the people's support and it will use the result to justify its hold on power,'' he said.