(CTN News) – Thailand’s 200 new senators have been summoned to report to Parliament on Monday, even though the Election Commission is still investigating several allegations of collusion and other irregularities in the electoral process.
The poll body certified the results of the three-stage vote that ended on June 26 on Wednesday. The new senators can pick up their credentials on Thursday and Friday.
Somchai Swangkarn, the caretaker senator, stated that the 250 senators nominated by the military-linked government in 2019 were expected to cease their duties now that the results were final.
The Senate Secretariat said the new upper house’s debut session would occur shortly after its members report on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission announced it would work with three other authorities to continue investigating alleged election-fixing.
Two weeks after the last vote was cast, the poll board met on Wednesday morning, sparking anticipation that it was finally ready to validate the unofficial results. That confirmation came at 2.30pm when it issued a list of the 200 senators and 100 substitutes.
Inaugural Session of the New Senate in Thailand
The only individual rejected so far is Senator-elect Kohdeeyoh Songngam from Group 18 (mass communications and literature). She was discovered to have worked as an adviser to the chairman of the Ang Thong Provincial Administrative Organization. She was ineligible for the position because it was political.
Maj Korapot Runghirunwat, the first substitute in Group 18, was chosen to fill the empty seat.
At a later news conference, EC Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee stated that the commission agreed the vote was following Section 42 of the original law and decided to certify the outcome.
In response to criticism of the poll body’s handling of the campaign, he stated that it had assessed complaints and split them into three categories: manipulation or fraud, election-related offenses on voting days, and candidate credentials.
According to Mr Sawaeng, 47 reports of cooperation to alter the results have been made. The Election Commission has obtained preliminary evidence and requested assistance from the Royal Thai Police, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), and the Anti-Money Laundering Office in investigating these claims.
“We’ve been working with senior officers from these agencies for a week. “The Office of the EC must use its tools to gather evidence,” he stated.
Mr Sawaeng stated that the Supreme Court received eighteen complaints against the election procedure on voting days, but all were dismissed. Three were filed with the EC, which chose to collect additional evidence to ensure a fair process for both the complainants and the accused.
The poll agency examined candidates’ eligibility and qualifications prior to and during the campaign, he added. 1,917 applications were rejected before voting began, and more than 600 were disqualified because they met the qualification standards.
Mr Sawaeng stated that the EC would petition the Supreme Court to remove the rights of some candidates, who may face criminal charges for contesting the election despite knowing they were ineligible.
He further highlighted that the terms “profession” and “occupation” were misapplied to the 20 categories in which candidates competed.
He noted that the organic law on the Senate election and the constitution utilize a broader Thai term, dan—domain, territory, or field—to ensure that people from varied backgrounds and experiences can participate.
“[After all these steps], the EC agreed the Senate election process was fair, clean and lawful and decided to endorse the election result,” according to him.
Source: BangkokPost
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