The “Yes” vote has taken an early lead in the initial counting, appearing to mirror early trends seen in Thailand’s general election.
Unofficial counts at around 6:20pm showed more than 22,000 voters agreeing that the Constitution should be changed, compared with over 11,000 votes opposing a potential rewrite. More than 3,200 people abstained.
The early referendum results appear to reflect the pro-Orange trend seen in early election counts. During the same period, the People’s Party was leading in more constituencies than Bhumjaithai and also ahead in the popular vote.
Overall, the People’s Party had secured 67 MPs, compared with Bhumjaithai’s 60. (Bhumjaithai has jumped slightly ahead as of 7 pm, with more than 90 seats in its hands, subject to future changes.)
Meanwhile, unofficial election and referendum results are expected to be known by around 11pm tonight, possibly earlier, Election Commission Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee told the media on Sunday.
He said counting of the three ballots cast today — for constituency MPs, party-list MPs and constitutional amendments — began as soon as polling stations closed at 5pm.
Unofficial results are expected to start being announced within an hour of polls closing, with all three ballots likely to be counted between 11pm and midnight.
A total of 53 million Thai citizens were eligible to vote. Of these, two million cast ballots in advance on February 1, which will be counted together with votes cast today.
Voter turnout stood at 87%.
Sawaeng explained that counting three ballots per voter at district offices nationwide may take longer than in non-referendum elections, as officials are prioritising accuracy.
During the counting process, representatives of contesting parties may raise objections if they suspect errors, although rulings by election officials are considered final, he said.
The EC secretary-general disclosed that only five cases of alleged vote-buying have been reported so far — in Surat Thani, Ratchaburi and Chiang Rai — adding that voting proceeded smoothly overall, including in areas bordering Cambodia and in the restive Deep South.
