The process of reviewing voter lists and registering new voters ahead of next year's national election went smoothly and without any significant hitches on its first day on October 20, according to the National Election Committee (NEC).

The process is being carried out at all 1,652 commune offices across the Kingdom from October 20 to December 8.

“On the first day … all 1,652 commune offices were open to the public and all functioned smoothly and normally,” said NEC deputy secretary-general Som Sorida.

Although it rained heavily early in the morning, all offices carried out their duties efficiently and safely, he added.

NEC has projected that there will be around 500,000 new registrations this year. While more than 9.2 million eligible voters were registered on the 2021 voter list, this will have increased to nearly 10 million for the upcoming election, Sorida said.

He said the 50-day process of reviewing the voter list – allowing people to correct inaccurate names or dates of birth, or add instances of relocation – and registering new voters is important for the election.

According to Sorida, after the process is complete, NEC will prepare the final list of eligible voters for the 7th-mandate parliamentary election, scheduled for next July.