The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) today voted to endorse five of the seven persons nominated to form a new Election Commission and rejected two nominees.
Of the seven people nominated for the EC posts, five were nominated by a selection committee and two by a plenary session of Supreme Court judges.
Of the five nominated by the selection committee, the NLA voted to endorse only three of them. They are Santhad Siriananpaiboon, a lecturer of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi; Itthiporn Boonprakong, former director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department of the Foreign Affairs Ministry; and, Tawatchai Therdpaothai, a former member of the National Reforms Steering Assembly.
The two other persons nominated by the selection committee — Somchai Channarongkul, director-general of the Agriculture Extension Department of the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry, and Peerasak Hinmuangkao, a former governor of Buri Ram, Pathum Thani, Ranong, Chumphon and Nakhon Si Thammarat — were voted down by the NLA.
The two nominees nominated by the Supreme Court — Chatchai Chanpraisri, a chief justice in the Supreme Court; and Pakorn Mahannop, a Supreme Court judge — were endorsed by NLA.
A new selection process is required to look for two other members of the EC.
