帕特皮查·塔纳卡森皮帕特报道：泰国及其总理阿努廷·参威拉空成功避免了新一轮政治动荡。该国最高法院的一项裁决消除了近期选举需要重新举行的威胁。
By Patpicha Tanakasempipat Thailand and its prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, avoided renewed political upheaval after a ruling by one of the country’s top courts removed the threat that the recent election would need to be rerun.
宪法法院周一就二月全国选举中选票上使用条形码和二维码的案件作出裁决。批评者声称，这些标识可能使选票可追溯至个人，从而违反了宪法关于直接和秘密选举的保障。
The Constitutional Court decided Monday on a case over the use of barcodes and QR codes on ballots in the February national election, which critics alleged violated constitutional guarantees for direct and secret elections because they could allow votes to be traceable to individuals.
然而，法院认定，现有的安全措施足以使得通过选民名册、选票和投票存根这三个关键要素将选票与选民进行匹配变得“困难”。
The court, however, determined that there were enough security measures in place for it to be “difficult” to match votes to voters using the three key components — voter rolls, ballots and voting stubs.
法院最终裁定，这些标识的使用——旨在防范舞弊——并未违反旨在保护政治表达权利免受威胁或干扰的宪法原则。
It ultimately decided that the use of the markings — intended to counter fraud — didn’t violate the constitutional principles, aimed at protecting the right of political expression without threat or interference.
这一裁决使得由阿努廷领导的自豪泰党政府得以继续执政，巩固了其今年早些时候赢得的明确授权，并消除了在选民上次投票仅七个月后再次举行全国大选的可能性。
The decision allows Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party-led government to continue with the decisive mandate it won earlier this year, removing the prospect of another nationwide election just seven months after voters last went to the polls.
这也降低了东南亚经济面临困难时期时，经济政策受到干扰的风险。受高家庭债务、疲弱的国内需求和高昂能源成本的制约，泰国今年预计仅增长约2.5%。
It also reduces the risk of disruption to economic policy at a difficult time for the Southeast Asian economy. Thailand is projected to grow only about 2.5% this year, constrained by high household debt, weak domestic demand and elevated energy costs.
投资者此前还面临新选举可能中断泰国资产强劲复苏的风险。基准SET指数今年已上涨超过25%。
Investors had also faced the possibility that a new election would interrupt a sharp recovery in Thai assets. The benchmark SET Index has gained more than 25% this year.
案件的核心是印在选票及包含选民信息的对应存根上的独特条形码和二维码。选举委员会表示，这些标识符旨在防止舞弊并妥善清点选票。
At the center of the case were unique barcodes and QR codes printed on ballots and corresponding stubs containing voter information. The Election Commission has said the identifiers were designed to prevent fraud and properly account for ballots.
该机构承认，选票在理论上可能与存根进行匹配，但辩称选票、存根和选民登记记录是分开存放的，这使得确定个人如何投票在操作上不可行。
The agency acknowledged that ballots could theoretically be matched with their stubs but argued that ballots, stubs and voter-registration records were stored separately, making it impractical to determine how an individual voted.
法院周一表示，选区选票上使用的二维码无法帮助识别选民，但政党选票上使用的条形码可能会潜在地导致选民身份被识别。
The court said Monday that QR codes, used on constituency ballots, couldn’t help identify voters, but that the barcodes, used on party ballots, could potentially lead to voter identification.
法院称，这一流程加剧了公众的不信任，并敦促选举委员会在未来选举中考虑使用不带识别标记的选票。
It said the process had fueled public mistrust and urged the Election Commission to consider using ballots without identifying markings in future elections.
阿努廷面临越来越大的压力，需要兑现其竞选承诺，即提升投资、增强竞争力，并振兴一个多年来表现逊于许多东南亚邻国的经济。
Anutin is under growing pressure to deliver on campaign promises to lift investment, strengthen competitiveness and revive an economy that has underperformed many of its Southeast Asian peers for more than a decade.
公众对生活成本和能源价格上涨的不满仍然是政治上的软肋。资深抗议活动领袖颂提·林通功也已开始动员支持者，就涉嫌腐败和政治干预问题反对现政府。
Public frustration over living costs and higher energy prices remains a political vulnerability. Veteran protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul has also already begun mobilizing supporters against the administration over alleged corruption and political interference.
根据国家发展管理学院周日发布的9月18日至23日全国调查显示，本月仅有13.8%的受访者支持阿努廷担任总理，而6月这一比例为21.7%。自豪泰党的支持率在同一时期从17%下降至12.1%，使其排名跌至第三位，落后于反对派人民党和联盟伙伴为泰党。
Only 13.8% of people polled this month backed Anutin as prime minister, compared with 21.7% in June, according to a Sept. 18–23 nationwide survey released Sunday by the National Institute of Development Administration. Bhumjaithai’s rating declined to 12.1% from 17% over the same period, pushing it into third place behind the opposition People’s Party and coalition partner Pheu Thai.
泰国法院此前曾推翻全国选举结果。2006年，宪法法院部分因选票保密问题及其他违规行为而宣布选举无效。四个月后，军方推翻了时任总理他信·西那瓦，开启了另一段政治动荡时期。
Thailand’s courts have overturned national elections before. In 2006, the Constitutional Court annulled an election partly over ballot-secrecy concerns and other irregularities. The military ousted then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra four months later, ushering in another period of political upheaval.