Bangkok: The Election Commission is under scrutiny as it deliberates the fate of 229 senators involved in the "senatorial fraud case." Concerns have been raised about whether the Commission will expedite the case's closure to avoid a court hearing before the Prime Minister's election. The People's Party has issued a warning against prematurely concluding the matter.

According to Thai News Agency, the People's Party spokesperson, Parit Wacharasindhu, held a press conference at the party's headquarters, urging the public to monitor the Election Commission's meeting closely. He questioned whether there would be an attempt to fast-track the case closure to clear allegations before the election of the Prime Minister.

Parit highlighted conflicting opinions from two committees working on the Senate fraud case, leaving the final decision to the seven members of the Election Commission (EC). The 26th Central Investigation and Inquiry Committee had recommended prosecuting all 229 accused individuals, comprising 138 senators and 91 members of political parties and related networks, based on substantial evidence of collusion in the Senate election.

In contrast, Subcommittee No. 36 of the Election Commission recommended terminating the proceedings, finding no basis for wrongdoing among the accused. The People's Party argued that the Election Commission should follow the recommendation of Investigation Committee No. 26 due to the substantial evidence supporting the allegations.

The People's Party outlined four reasons for the Election Commission to refer the case to court. First, the evidence gathered by Investigation Committee No. 26 was deemed substantial enough to warrant court consideration, including instances of vote buying and collusion. The evidence presented was more compelling than that in a previous case, where the court ruled against a Senate candidate based on minimal evidence.

Second, the legitimacy of Subcommittee No. 36 is under question, as its establishment may have violated Election Commission regulations. A lawsuit has already been filed against the EC for potentially illegally establishing the subcommittee.

Third, a conflict of interest is evident, as four out of seven Election Commission members were certified by the accused Senate members. This raises concerns about the impartiality of the decision-making process.

Finally, if the Election Commission rushes to close the case, it may be perceived as acting on external orders to resolve allegations before the Prime Minister's election. Many nominees for Prime Minister and ministers are among the accused, leading to suspicions of undue influence over the Commission's actions.

The People's Party insists that if the Election Commission cannot refute the evidence, it should proceed with the case to court to maintain public trust and avoid accusations of abuse of power.