The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) will vote on July 12 to decide whether to endorse the selection of seven new members of the Election Commission.

Seven people have been  nominated to make up a new Election Commission.  Five were picked by a selection committee and two by a plenary session of the Supreme Court judges.

Records and ethical conduct of the seven nominees have been examined and endorsed by a committee entrusted with the screening process.. Their nominations be forwarded to the NLA for endorsement on July 12.

The seven are: Santhad Siriananpaiboon, a lecturer of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi; Somchai Channarongkul, director-general of the Agriculture Extension Department of the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry: Itthiporn Boonprakong, former director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department of the Foreign Affairs Ministry; Peerasak Hinmuangkao, a former governor of Buri Ram, Pathum Thani, Ranong, Chumphon and Nakhon Si Thammarat; Tawatchai Therdpaothai, a former member of the National Reforms Steering Assembly; Chatchai Chanpraisri, a chief justice in the Supreme Court; and Pakorn Mahannop, a Supreme Court judge.

The last two were selected by a plenary session of the Supreme Court judges.

On Feb 22, the NLA rejected the first batch of nominations of seven EC members on the ground that they did not have the required expertise for the handling of elections.