A group of reserve senators on Thursday called on the Election Commission and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to expedite their investigations into irregularities in the 2024 Senate election.
The call to speed up the stalled investigations into allegations of widespread vote-rigging and possible money-laundering came after the Constitutional Court last week ruled on a complaint filed by some of the implicated senators.
Specifically, the court rejected a claim that Phumtham Wechayachai and Thawee Sodsong, both former cabinet ministers, overstepped their authority or committed ethical violations when they asked the DSI to take up the case.
The senators had claimed that involving the DSI amounted to interference with the mandate of the Election Commission and was intended to intimidate or pressure members of the upper house.
The reserve senators, led by Pol Lt Gen Kamrop Panyakaew, told reporters this week that the ruling made clear that the issue did not stem from the executive branch’s use of power. Instead, the real problem was with the Senate selection process itself, which was riddled with irregularities and needed to be investigated, they said.
They called on the Election Commission and the DSI to exercise their powers in a straightforward and transparent manner and move forward with their investigations into complaints linking dozens of senators accused of collusion.
The final vote in the three-stage Senate election on June 26, 2024 produced highly unusual results, notably a disproportionate number of winners from provinces where the Bhumjaithai Party is strong electorally.
In addition to 138 current senators out of 200, those accused of collusion include 91 other people affiliated with Bhumjaithai, such as executive members and those tied to associated groups.
However, since Bhumjaithai assumed control of the government in September last year, there has been little news of progress in the cases.
The 138 senators accused of collusion should step down, the reserve senators said, while 92 senators who signed the petition against the two former ministers should be examined to determine whether the petition was intended to deflect scrutiny from themselves.
Pol Lt Gen Kamrop insisted the group was acting in good faith and stressed that their stance was not driven by personal ambitions. Their goal, he said, was to uphold the rule of law and protect the integrity of the parliamentary system.
The vote-rigging case is being pursued by an Election Commission subcommittee while the DSI is working on the money laundering case.
The EC investigation committee has submitted its findings, recommending action against 229 individuals, including the 138 senators, under multiple sections of the organic law on the Senate election.
