EC:89.2% of Feb 2 polling stations could operate

BANGKOK, February 3 (TNA) - The Election Commission of Thailand (EC) says that 89.2 per cent of polling stations on Sunday's general election could operate without any disruption caused by anti-government protesters. The EC told journalists on Monday morning that Sunday's general election happened without any problem at 83,669 polling stations in 308 constituencies in 59 Thai provinces, but election was cancelled at 10,283 polling stations in 67 constituencies in 18 other provinces. The EC concluded that 89.2 per cent of polling stations could, thus, operate in the February 2 general election. According to the election agency, election was completely called off, due to protesters' blockage, in nine southern Thai provinces of Chumphon, Ranong, Surat Thani, Phangnga, Krabi, Phuket, Phatthalung, Songkhla and Trang; while election was terminated in some constituencies in the other nine Thai provinces of Phetchaburi, Rayong, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Satun, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Bangkok. In Bangkok, the EC reported, 6,155 out of a total of 6,671 polling stations could operate and 516 polling stations were closed, while voters' turnout in the capital stood at 26.8 per cent, compared with 71.8 per cent, in the 2011 general election. Voters' turnout rates were 54.03 per cent in the Thai North and 56.14 per cent in the Thai Northeast. The EC is scheduled to discuss solutions to the problems of Sunday's general election later in the day. An election commissioner, Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, who supervises election administration, told reporters that as the February 2 general election was unsuccessful, he would seek to change his responsibilities with other election commissioners, denying that he was passing a hot potato to another election commissioner. Somchai is scheduled to discuss election-related issues and the by-election on February 23, 2014 with Director of the caretaker government's Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) Chalerm Yubamrung, who is also Caretaker Labor Minister, on Monday afternoon. (TNA)