Senate confirmed amid controversy: Thailand’s new Upper House to be formally seated. Election Commission issues ‘Orange Cards’ after detailing rigorous vetting of over 48,000 applications.
Thailand will formally seat its new upper house or Senate this week. It follows Wednesday’s confirmation of the 200 elected senators. At length, this came after a controversial election beset by troubles and doubts. For instance, at the last minute, one elected senator was removed from the list and given an orange card. The senator-elect who was ousted is among 89 candidates given an ‘Orange Card’ by the election agency. In turn, they may face investigation and referral to the courts for possible legal prosecution. Senators will begin reporting to parliament on Thursday.
After over a week of doubt and speculation, the Election Commission on Wednesday moved ahead and announced the 200 members of the new Senate. This followed the final selection round on June 26th in Nonthaburi. The results had been expected last Wednesday.
Controversy has since flared about the election results. In particular, there have been allegations that a large number of senators-elect did not meet the pre-election criteria. Consequently, the Election Commission itself has come under scrutiny.
Disquiet over the self-selection Election. Election Commission approves 200 Senators and 99 reserves after rigorous vetting of over 48,000 applications
Meanwhile, there is widespread public dissatisfaction with the self-selection election system laid down by the 2017 Constitution.
Nevertheless, the Election Commission (EC) announced the approval of 200 Senators and 99 reserves. The reason there are only 99 reserves is that one has already been deemed elected as a senator.
One of the 89 ‘Orange Cards’ issued to candidates challenging their validity was to an initial senator-elect.
At the same time, the Election Commission has vigorously defended its conduct of the election. The process involved a rigorous review of over 48,000 initial applications, from which 1,917 were disqualified during preliminary checks.
Subsequently, 526 candidates were removed before the district-level selection. Additionally, 87 and 5 candidates were excluded during the provincial and national rounds, respectively.
The EC clarified that these exclusions were based on strict adherence to electoral laws and regulations, aimed at ensuring only qualified candidates proceeded to the final selection stages.
EC defends election integrity amid legal challenges. Sawaeng Boonme assures transparency. 18 Supreme Court cases dismissed as elections proceeded smoothly
During Wednesday’s press conference, Mr Sawaeng Boonme, the EC’s Secretary-General, addressed concerns regarding transparency and fairness.
He highlighted the EC’s commitment to upholding electoral integrity, emphasising that all decisions were made in accordance with legal provisions. Despite ongoing legal challenges, including 18 petitions to the Supreme Court under Section 44, which were subsequently dismissed, the EC remains steadfast in its commitment to conducting impartial elections.
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The Election Commission boss noted that presently all cases with the Supreme Court have been dismissed.
EC issues ‘Orange Cards’ to 89 candidates, signalling potential criminal charges. Sawaeng hints at prosecutions in order to protect election integrity
Notably, a key aspect of today’s announcement was the issuance of the ‘Orange Cards’ to 89 candidates. These candidates will face proceedings before the Supreme Court.
The Election Commission called on the Royal Thai Police, Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), and Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to assist in inquiries.
Significantly, Mr Sawaeng suggests all will likely face criminal prosecution, including the senator-elect who has effectively been unseated.
The cards signify doubts about the candidates’ eligibility, with each individual facing potential criminal charges if found to have misrepresented their qualifications.
The EC reiterated its role in ensuring that all elected officials meet stringent criteria, emphasising the importance of transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
Contentious election results confirmed. 200 Senators revealed and reserves. Inauguration set to now go ahead. Certificates to be issued quickly this week
‘Today, the EC considered and saw that the selection of senators was correct, honest, and fair. Therefore, it resolved to announce the results of the selection of senators in each group. Of the 20 groups, numbers 1-10 of each group are senators. Numbers 11-15 of each group are reserve lists, except for group 18, in which the EC temporarily suspended the rights of one person who was selected. Therefore, number 11 of group 18 had to be moved up to number 10 instead. There will be only 4 reserves in group 18,’ Mr Sawaeng explained.
The EC Secretary-General outlined that the EC had resolved to announce all 200 elected candidates so that the new Senate could be inaugurated.
Afterwards, all 200 confirmed candidates must come to receive a certificate of their election as senators as evidence when reporting to the Senate Secretariat.
Senate facilities will be opened to them on July 11-12, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additionally, they can also come on July 15th.
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