The Election Commission (EC) has dismissed a petition seeking the dissolution of six political parties, for allegedly allowing themselves to be dominated by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the creation of and during the coalition government, led by then prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
EC Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee told the media today that the key element in determining whether a party is dominated by an outsider is the party’s independence.
In this case, he said that the EC’s investigation panel had invited representatives of the six parties for questioning over an incident, in which the representatives were invited to Thaksin’s Ban Chan Songla mansion for a meal ahead of the formation of the coalition government, after then prime minister Srettha Thavisin had been removed from the office by the Constitutional Court.
The petitioner claimed that the six parties had allowed themselves to be dictated to by Thaksin in their bid to form a government.
Sawaeng said that all the representatives of the six parties, led by Pheu Thai, had insisted that they were independent and free to make their own decisions as to whether to join the coalition.
He disclosed that there are several similar petitions still pending with the EC, most of which are related to Thaksin’s public speeches or remarks, which have been interpreted by some as suggesting that Thaksin had influence over or control of several parties.
In legal terminology “dominated” means that those parties lose their independence and freedom in decision making to another person or entity external to the party, explained Sawaeng.
