Democrat wins Council by-election

PHUKET CITY: Despite active campaigning by all three candidates, voter turnout for the Phuket Provincial Council District 1 by-election on August 5 was low, with eventual winner Somkuan Tansakul of the Democrat party winning the vacant seat with just 839 votes.

Coming second was engineer Wongwara Sa-nguansak, with 575 votes, while writer Wisut “Ae Inside” Tangwittayaporn, who promised to bring greater transparency to the Democrat Party-led council, trailed in third place with just 273 votes.

There were also 123 no-votes and 25 spoiled ballots.

Of 7,717 eligible voters in the constituency, which covers Yaowarat Rd and nearby communities, only 1,835 voters, or 23.8%, turned out for the poll.

The election was held to find a replacement on the council for former member Prinya Siamharn, who passed away on June 9, 2006.

Both K. Somkuan and Charnsak Phummak, who earlier won a by-election in District 2, will have to wait for final approval from the national Election Commission (EC) before they can take their place on the council.

They may have to wait a while, however. Thailand is currently undergoing the lengthy process of finding new commissioners to sit on its five-member EC, following the July 25 jailing of the EC’s three remaining member by the Criminal Court on malfeasance and other convictions relating to their handling of the general election held on April 2 this year.