Over 2m people register for advance voting in Thailand

BANGKOK, January 24 (TNA) - The Election Commission of Thailand (EC) says that more than two million eligible voters have registered to cast their ballots on January 26, 2014, in advance of the new general election on February 2. EC Secretary-General Puchong Nutrawong told journalists that more than two million people nationwide have registered for the January 26 advance voting outside their constituencies and over 40,000 people have registered for the advance poll in their constituencies. Puchong said that the EC held a meeting in Bangkok on Friday to discuss solutions in case that protesters would block the advance voting on the coming Sunday, covering measures in case that election officials and voters could not reach their polling units. Puchong noted that an issue on whether eligible voters would lose their political rights if they were unable to cast their votes was also included on the agenda. Puchong acknowledged he is particularly concerned over the situation in Bangkok's Bang Kapi District, where more than 80,000 people have registered for their advance balloting, and also overindustrial areas, namely Bangkok’s Bang Khunthian District as well as Ayutthaya, Chon Buri and Samut Prakan Provinces, where hundreds of thousands of people have registered for their advance voting. According to the EC secretary-general, the election agency has prepared 153 places for the advance election outside voters’ constituencies, but election offices in 20 out of 77 Thai provinces have remained under siege by anti-government protesters, most of them are in 15 southern provinces, where provincial halls have been locked. The EC secretary-general said if concerned authorities could cope with the situation on January 26, there should be fewer problems for the February 2 general election.(TNA)