Unofficial results of the May 14 general election in Bangkok should be available before 9pm, four hours after polling booths close, said Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) permanent-secretary Chatree Wattanakhajorn.

Bangkok is Thailand’s biggest battleground for the May 14 general election, with 33 seats in the House of Representatives up for grabs.

Chatree said the BMA has finalised the following four aspects of preparations to ensure the long-awaited election goes smoothly:

Personnel: The city has recruited over 86,000 staff to register candidates, supervise polling stations, count votes, and conduct supporting tasks.

Venues: The BMA has provided venues for candidate registration, polling stations for both normal and advance voting, storage of ballots, and stages for party election campaigns.

Equipment: The city supplied ample tools and stationery for candidate registration, vote counting, and result calculation.

Public relations: BMA has raised public awareness of the importance of voting and publicised rules for voters to avoid spoiling their ballots.

Chatree said officials will begin counting votes as soon as Bangkok polling stations close at 5pm. The results will be forwarded electronically to the central election centre at the City Hall in Phra Nakhon district.

“We expect to have an unofficial vote count for all 33 constituencies before 9pm on May 14,” he said.

Chatree was speaking at the seminar “Are You Ready for the 2023 Election?” co-hosted by the BMA and King Prajadhipok’s Institute at the City Hall on Tuesday.

“The city is coordinating with the Election Commission [EC] to report the unofficial results as soon as possible within the scope of election laws.”

The unofficial result of the nationwide election should be delivered by 10pm on May 14, EC secretary-general Sawang Boonmee said earlier.

A public survey conducted by the King Prajadhipok’s Institute predicted a large voter turnout on May 14, said the institute’s deputy secretary-general, Dr Tawinwadee Burikul.

Nine out of 10 respondents, or 88.5%, said they would vote on May 14, Tawinwadee said. However, only 48% said they had already made up their minds which party or candidate they will vote for. Respondents said the biggest factor affecting their voting decisions was the party, followed by the party leader, policies, MP candidates, and prime ministerial candidate.
The characteristic they most wanted to see in a candidate was a willingness to work for the public without discrimination or political affiliation. They also expected to see candidates continue to visit local communities to identify problems after election campaigning ends.

The majority of respondents said they would also keep track of whether elected candidates fulfilled the promises they made while campaigning.

Chatree also urged people to inform BMA and/or EC officials if they witnessed a breach of election laws. They could also alert the police officers who will be stationed at every polling station on the voting day, he added.

“Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt has instructed all city officials to remain neutral during the election to ensure a fair and transparent vote,” said Chatree. “He also warned voters to abide by election laws and to void actions that could void their ballots or violate the law, such as ripping or photographing their ballot paper after casting their votes.”