Election Commission to Proceed with Criminal Charges Against 77 Senators and Related Parties in Vote-Rigging Case, Seeks Constitutional Court Ruling on Supreme Court Jurisdiction - Thairath English
The Election Commission is expediting the drafting of a criminal complaint against 77 individuals involved in rigging the senator elections, expected to be completed next week. The complaint will also be submitted to the Constitutional Court to clarify the Commission's authority, amid concerns that the Supreme Court's acceptance of petitions to review senators' qualifications could affect the finality of the Commission's rulings.
On 4 Nov at the Election Commission office, reports indicate that following the EC's resolution to refer criminal cases against 77 individuals involved in the 2024 senator election fraud—including 26 current senators—the Commission is currently drafting the complaint to submit to the Supreme Court. The process is expected to conclude within the next week. However, due to the large volume of documents, additional preparation time may be needed, though not exceeding the 60-day limit. The EC has preliminarily coordinated with the Supreme Court regarding the format for submitting documents, whether as printed booklets or on flash drives and the number of sets, and is awaiting the Court's response.
Simultaneously, at the EC meeting, the draft petition proposed by EC Chairman Narong Klanwarin was considered to submit to the Constitutional Court. The petition requests the Court to rule on the EC's duties and powers regarding the senator election, focusing on whether the announcement of candidates and the EC's decision to dismiss petitions are legally final. The EC voted 5 to 2 to urgently send this petition to the Constitutional Court, aiming to file it within next week as well. If the Court rules in favor of the EC's request, it could directly affect three cases reviewing senators' qualifications that the Supreme Court has already accepted for consideration.
The three cases accepted by the Supreme Court originated from petitions by five candidates and voters—Ballang Srimongkol, Watsamon Khunsaen, Daeng Kongma, Sompan Palasak, and Thongsian Wongprajun—requesting the Court to re-examine the qualifications and disqualifications of other senator candidates, especially concerning disputes in Amnat Charoen province and cases of candidates applying under incorrect occupational groups. They also requested the Court to review the EC's previous rulings that dismissed these petitions. The Supreme Court has accepted all three cases, which are now in the stages of filing objections and evidence review. This has prompted the EC to view such judicial actions as an overreach of authority, leading it to seek a definitive ruling from the Constitutional Court.
