The Election Commission (EC) has decided today to forward the alleged Senate election collusion case to the Supreme Court, but the petition excludes current prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul and many Bhumjaithai politicians despite being earlier accused of involvement.
The EC’s petition names 77 people as being linked to the alleged collusion case, 26 of whom are sitting senators, 36 are failed senatorial candidates and 15 others.
Anutin and ministers in his Cabinet are not included in the petition, even though they were earlier found to be allegedly linked to the scandal by an EC sub-committee tasked with investigating the matter. It was known as the 26th committee.
The case centres on controversy over the intra-group 200-seat senatorial election in June 2024, in which evidence of alleged voting coercion, vote buying and money laundering was flagged.
427 people were initially accused of committing seven separate offences when the EC started to look into the allegations in March 2025.
EC Chairman Narong Klanwarin said that the witness accounts are not credible and cannot be used as evidence of apparent misconduct among the accused Bhumjaithai politicians.
“We [the EC] have our own criteria for consideration and we look at every dimension,” Narong told reporters.
Narong also said that different decisions by separate bodies do not need to be in agreement, explaining why today’s decision contradicts that of the 26th panel.
He explained that the submission to court needs to be within 60 days. The court will order suspension from duty of the 36 accused senators when it accepts the petition for consideration. They will be barred from running for office if found guilty, he said.
He added that the EC is independent to make decisions on its own, given that the watchdog has been criticised by opposition parties for being reluctant to take legal measures against high-profile politicians. They also hinted at a no-confidence motion against the administration.
“We do not make a decision arbitrarily or under pressure from any group of people,” the EC claimed.
Separately, the EC’s decision has also been taken against the background of a threat by former royalist Yellow Shirt movement leader Sondhi Limthongkul, who warned of mass demonstrations if the EC’s decision “is unjust.” He claimed that the Senate poll fraud is part of mushrooming corruption led by the current government.
Anutin is currently in Vietnam and is yet to respond to the development.
