Immediately after the Election Commission (EC) approved a list of 149 party-list MPs today, the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai party announced that it would explore all possible legal channels to take action against the commission.

The list of party-list MPs endorsed by the EC shows 26 parties get party-list seats, with the Future Forward party taking the lion’s share of 50, including that of party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, who is still facing a charge of holding media shares while registering his candidacy. This may disqualify him if the charge is subsequently proven.

In a statement issued in the aftermath of the EC’s announcement, the Pheu Thai party accused the EC of violating the rules regarding the allocation of party-list seats. The party reiterated its position that parties which received fewer than the minimum electoral votes should not be eligible for any seat.

Even though the Constitutional Court has ruled that Article 128 of the MP Election Act does not contradict Article 91 of the charter, the party said that the court had not gone into details about the formulae to be used in the calculation of seat allocation.

The Pheu Thai party does not get any party-list seats because it won more constituency seats than the party-list seats it would receive.

The party-list seat allocation endorsed by the EC is as follows:

• Future Forward, 50 seats
• Democrat, 19 seats
• Palang Pracharat, 18 seats
• Bhumjaithai, 12 seats
• Seri Ruam Thai, 10 seats
• New Economics, 6 seats
• Pheu Chart, 5 seats
• Chart Thai Pattana and Ruam Palang Prachachart Thai, 4 seats each
• Palang Thongthin Thai, 3 seats
• Chart Pattana and Rak Puenpa Prathet Thai, 2 seats each
• Palang Puangchon Thai, Palang Chart Thai, Prachapiwat, Thai Sivilai, Palang Thai Rak Thai, Khru Thai Pheu Prachachon, Prachaniyom, Prachacham Thai, Prachachon Patiroop, Prachatippatai Mai, Palangdham Mai and Thai Rak Tham, 1 seat each.

An informed source said that the EC used the formula of the Constitution Drafting Committee in calculating the seat sharing, which ensures that parties which received fewer than the benchmark level of about 70,000 votes for a seat will, in fact, get one seat.

Under this contentious formula, which is challenged by the Future Forward and Pheu Thai parties, 11 smaller parties have been given one seat each, making 26 parties with party-list seat allocations.