Rewat Areerob wins Phuket PPAO election

PHUKET: Former Phuket Democrat MP Rewat Areerob has been elected President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor), according to the preliminary count of the election held yesterday (Dec 20).

Mr Rewat, 54, No 2 on the ballot representing the “Phuket Yatdai Party” (“Phuket Trustworthy Party”), secured 83,144 votes, the PEC announced.

The Phuket office of the Election Commission of Thailand (PEC) confirmed its count of the votes at 5am today (Dec 21), posting the official count on a billboard in front of Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor) head office, located next to Phuket Provincial Hall.

Jirayut Songyot, who contested the election as No 1 on the ballot representing the Khon Baan Rao Party (“People from Our House Party”), secured 50,914 votes.

Sorawut Palimapunt, representing the longstanding Gao Na Party (“Progress Party”), which today calls itself in English the “Phuket Progressive Movement Party”, placed third in the race for PPAO President, garnering 20,073 votes.

Despite earlier reports that 287,374 people in Phuket were eligible to cast votes in the election, the PEC confirmed today that the actual total number of eligible voters on the island numbered 294,141.

Of those, only 172,709 (58.72%) presented themselves at the 496 polling stations across the island yesterday, the PEC reported.

A total of 10,690 of those who presented themselves did not cast a ballot, the PEC announced.

A further 5,388 votes were marked as spoiled ballots, the PEC added.

A very tired PEC Director-General Passakon Siripakayapon, who had yet to get any sleep since the election began yesterday, told The Phuket News this morning, “The next step is for me to submit the election results to the Election Commission of Thailand [ECT] in Bangkok on Wednesday (Dec 23).

“The PPAO President will take office 15 days after the ECT in Bangkok has confirmed the results,” he said.

“So far, there have been no formal complaints filed about the local election,” Mr Passakorn added.

“Everything went so well yesterday as everyone followed the COVID-19 prevention measures with observing social distancing, wearing masks and using hand sanitisers provided at each polling station,” he said.

All people attending the polling stations had their temperatures checked as a precaution, he added.

In total, the Phuket Yatdai Party secured 20 of the 24 seats available on the PPAO Council, while the Khon Baan Rao Party secured three seats, and the Gao Na Party secured just the one seat.

The full election results as posted by the PEC today are as follows:

Mueang Phuket District

Area 1: Mr Phairote Ruamphanpong, Khon Baan Rao Party – 2,411 votes

Area 2: Ms Chanoknan Chotkitsomboon, Phuket Yatdai Party – 1,361 votes

Area 3: Mr Hat Katanchaleekul, Phuket Yatdai Party – 2,444 votes

Area 4: Ms Jariya JaroenJiratrakul, Phuket Yatdai Party – 3,227 votes

Area 5: Mr Phiphat Yangyuen, Phuket Yatdai Party – 3,024 votes

Area 6: Mr Weerawong Chonsakul, Khon Baan Rao Party – 2,823 votes

Area 7: Mr Sert Thongdee, Phuket Yatdai Party – 2,857 votes

Area 8: Mr Samak Ratanadilok Na Phuket, Phuket Yatdai Party – 2,970 votes

Area 9: Mr Chusak Semaatrakul, Khon Baan Rao Party – 3,082 votes

Area 10: Mr Prichaphat Khanwilaikun, Phuket Yatdai Party – 3,269 votes