The Constitutional Court has accepted a petition filed by 92 senators, asking it to rule on whether Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong should lose their posts for interfering in the Senate election process.
The petition seeks to determine if the ministers’ actions violated the constitution, particularly Article 170, Paragraph 1(4), in relation to their role in a special investigation into vote-rigging in last year's poll.
The senators have accused both ministers of abuse of power for using the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to undermine the independence of the Election Commission.
The court accepted the petition and told the ministers to submit a response within 15 days. However, it decided not to suspend them at this stage, as no substantial evidence had yet been presented to warrant such a move.
The DSI was asked to look into certain aspects of the 2024 election after some losing candidates complained that the Election Commission appeared to be dragging its feet in investigating irregularities.
The investigation centres on allegations of collusion to ensure the election of senators linked to the Bhumjaithai Party, the second-largest party in the coalition.
The conservative “blue” bloc, as it has come to be known, consists of at least 120 senators out of a total of 200, including 14 from Buri Ram province, the home of Bhumjaithai patriarch Newin Chidchob.
“Blue” bloc senators were outraged when the DSI began its preliminary inquiries. The agency subsequently decided to limit its investigation into money laundering, while the EC would look into collusion.
The Election Commission said recently that it had found 27 “promising” cases of collusion, but it has not yet decided whether to launch a full investigation. It also said it welcomed assistance from the DSI as the case was extremely complex.
