01-07-2025
Court rejects Senate poll-collusion petition
The Constitutional Court has rejected a petition accusing the Election Commission and executives of the Bhumjaithai Party of involvement in the rigging of the Thai Senate election last year.
The court on Tuesday agreed unanimously not to accept the case for consideration on grounds that the poll had been carried out in accordance with the laws.
The decision was the second blow for Natthaporn Toprayoon. The lawyer and former adviser to the chief ombudsman petitioned the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) on May 15 demanding that prosecutors indict the accused. After a slow response from the OAG, he turned to the court.
Mr Nattaporn has accused 12 individuals and organisations of being involved in collusion to cheat during the multi-stage polling process. He said a total of 138 senators in the 200-member body and two reserve candidates were involved.
Newin Chidchob, the patriarch of the Bhumjaithai Party, and his wife, Karuna, were among those named in the document.
Fourteen senators, the largest number by far of any province, come from Buri Ram, the home base of the Chidchob family.
More than 120 senators are under investigation by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and the Election Commission in connection with allegations of irregularities on a huge scale in the June 2024 polls.
The investigations focus on 'blue bloc' senators, a reference to a large group linked to Bhumjaithai Party, which until recently was the second-largest party in the government coalition.
The final Senate vote on June 26 last year produced highly unusual results, notably a disproportionate number of winners from provinces where Bhumjaithai is strong electorally.
