Thai voters abroad to vote from 24 April – 5 May

By Linda Khoo Hui Li

BANGKOK, March 30 (Bernama) -- Thai voters abroad will be voting early from April 24 to May 5 for their country’s May 7 General Election, said Thai Foreign Ministry’s Deputy Director-General for Consular Affairs Narong Boonsatheanwong. 

Voters abroad will be casting their vote at the embassy/ consulate general or by post, as determined by the Thai embassy/ consulate general in the respective country and their votes will be counted in Thailand. 

The registration for overseas votings starts March 25 to April 9. 

“As of March 28 March, 24,005 Thais have registered to vote, with Thais in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany being the top five overseas voters,” he said. 

In the 2019 general election, a total of 119,313 Thais registered for overseas voting, with voters from Australia (16,000 voters), China, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Republic of Korea, and France being the top 10. 

To further enhance the preparations of overseas elections, based from previous experiences, Narong said MFA has developed the Overseas Voting Monitoring System (OVMS) to keep track of the latest progress in order to ensure smooth and transparent arrangements. 

“Overseas Thais can register to vote through websites (URL: https://stat.bora.dopa.go.th/Election/popout)  or  contact Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate General.  

“Overseas Thais are required to register specifically for each respective election to provide latest information of their settlement,” he said.

Narong said MFA is closely collaborating with EC, the Ministry of Interior, and Thailand Post  to ensure smooth oversea voting.  

“MFA is currently distributing related equipment, supplied by the EC, abroad to initiate necessary preparations. MFA has also conducted a training for the staff of Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates, with speakers from the ECT to provide relevant information and operating procedures,” he said. 

-- BERNAMA