The Senate rejected two candidates vying for vacant posts on the Constitutional Court today.
Before the vote, which was held in camera, some senators expressed support for both candidates, saying they were confident that the nominees would perform their duties effectively.
One of the candidates, Chatree Atjananon, a former Thai ambassador to The Hague in the Netherlands, was rejected by 115 to 47 votes, with 22 abstentions and three votes not cast.
The other, Professor Dr. Siripan Noksuan Sawasdee, a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University, received only 43 approval votes, with 136 against, seven abstentions, and one vote not cast.
Siripan is a well-known political scientist recognized for her support of amending the lèse-majesté laws.
To be eligible to become a judge on the Constitutional Court, a candidate must be approved by at least half of the 199 senators, or 100 votes.
There are currently two vacancies on the Constitutional Court bench following the departures of Court President Nakharin Mektrairat and Panya Oudchachon, whose terms expired on November 16 and 26, respectively.
They are, however, still performing their duties in an acting capacity pending the appointments of their successors.
