The Election Commission says it is looking into the matter as the last round of national election draws to a nearby.
The final round of voting to elect 200 new senators concluded on Wednesday night, with official results to be announced next Tuesday, amid allegations of poll fraud, which the Election Commission (EC ) said it was investigating.
In the last election, which was conducted using the same in- and inter-group voting system, 2, 989 applicants from the past provincial-level election entered in Nonthaburi’s Muang Thong Thani.
Another 100 individuals were being chosen as reserve applicants to complete any jobs that might come after, through dismissal or for other reasons, aside from the 200 elected senators. The 200 legislators- elect come from 20 expert groups, which were allotted a limit of 10 lawmakers each.
Since the three-phase election started on June 9, the EC has been occupied responding to reports of possible rigging. Strange developments have apparently been observed in some regions, including Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Pathum Thani.
According to press reports, some individuals reportedly met and joined events planned for them in these regions before the last election, and they were suspected of colluding with one another.
The EC claimed to be aware of these unexpected events and had carefully followed them since the district election’s first round.
The surveys system stated that it had begun looking into alleged misconduct cases and would be open to receiving more information about alleged ballot fraud from any parties.
Hathairat Phaholtap, editor of The Isaan Record, an independent internet store based in Khon Kaen, said she had been approached before by someone and offered 50, 000 baht per voting for 10 certain individuals.
Ms Hathairat, who was eliminated in the first round of voting on Wednesday morning, said the person in question, a properly- known legislator, called her on the phone but she did n’t report the conversation, so she did not have hard facts to give the EC.
Thanuphong Sakthanawat, alias Na Kluay Choen Yim, a favorite TV artist who did not win the in- party vote on Wednesday, said he, also, was approached by someone who called him on the phone and offered him some “tea money” in exchange for his vote, which he turned down.
According to Mr. Thanuphong, it was doubtful for candidates who won with far more votes to be independent individuals as claimed.
Internet Dialogue on Law Reform (iLaw ), a manager of the organization, Yingcheep Atchanont, refuted media reports that some members of iLaw are allegedly lobbying for votes for candidates connected to the group.
” Over the past two days, iLaw has received a lot of information from different Senate election prospects who claimed they had been approached by someone claiming to represent iLaw,” he said.
Mr. Yingcheep argued that none of the candidates for this election had been chosen because all of these alleged surveys scam attempts were fabricated and could be easily refuted.
ILaw was very instrumental in promoting the Senate vote and encouraging people to run. It built a website that was shut down for a number of days as a result of inquiries as to whether it violated EC promotion regulations. Candidates who afterwards argued that the Senate67 website was too restrictive were later sided with by the Administrative Court. ( Story continues below )
Hathairat Phaholtap, director of The Isaan Record, conversations to investigators after her Senate election ended in the first round of voting on Wednesday. She claimed one had approached her earlier and offered her 50, 000 Ringgit per vote for 10 particular candidates. ( Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill )
Pro- politics press
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, president of the Progressive Movement, which is allied with the opposition Walk Forward , Party ( MFP), posted on social media on Tuesday evening what he called a letter to pro- politics individuals in the Senate election.
He urged these prospects to continue to support their campaign promise to win as many applicants as possible for the lower house. He instructed them to never let their desire to be legislators themselves rule out that goal.
He cited the surveys as a chance that the Constitution’s drafting would require the Senate’s electorate to give more power to powerful organizations.
” Would you still want to see this happen? Or has our shared desire now been destroyed by your desire to become a senator? he wrote.  ,  ,
Meanwhile, the anti- MFP Facebook page Wan Ni Klao Klai Kohok Arai ( What lies has MFP come up with today? ) claimed some Senate candidates admitted to being defrauded into a competition for seats that was initially intended to be an independent election but later turned out to be cooperation with the opposition party to support the vote.
In a reply, Move Forward insisted in a declaration that it had no connection to the Senate election. It claimed to have instructed all group members to avoid the competition and to strictly adhere to the natural law governing the composition of the Senate.