The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct has scheduled March 17 to decide whether to formally accept a case against Election Commission (EC) chairman Narong Klanwarin and seven other senior officials over the poll ballot controversy. The case concerns the printing and use of ballot papers containing QR codes and barcodes, a controversy that has stoked concerns about voting secrecy and election integrity in the Feb 8 general election. He claimed the decision to include such codes reflected dishonest intent, unnecessarily increased printing costs, and undermined public trust in the confidentiality of the ballot. He said that the absence of serial numbering could create opportunities for fraud, including the printing of excess ballots. Sen Nantana said ballot papers used in the re-vote on Feb 22 differed from those used on Feb 8 because some lacked serial numbers that were present on earlier ballots.

Source: Bangkok Post February 24, 2026 19:13 UTC