EC must act, not observe

With less than a week to go before the national election, reports of vote-buying are growing louder — and more brazen.

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Last week, Bank of Thailand governor Vitai Ratanakorn made a rare decision to go public, warning of a series of suspicious cash withdrawals totalling more than 450 million baht. The money, withdrawn from commercial banks in denominations of 100 and 500 baht, is suspected to be intended for vote-buying ahead of the Feb 8 poll.

This warning is hardly the first. Rumours have been swirling for weeks about candidates attempting to woo voters with cash to ensure their parties secure enough seats to join the next coalition.

For parties and candidates, the stakes are high. Many are competing against rivals with strong public support. Those lacking popularity are therefore tempted to fall back on money politics. Parties that engage in cash-for-vote schemes are often those hoping to buy their way into a coalition and bargain for ministerial quotas.