The Election Commission (EC) has defended its handling of the 2024 Senate election and rejected allegations of irregularities after a video showing officials collecting voting notes from candidates resurfaced.
In a statement, the EC said on Friday that a court had already ruled that bringing documents or notes containing candidate numbers into polling areas did not constitute an offence under the law governing Senate elections.
The commission cited a ruling by the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on Jan 28, which found there was no legal prohibition against candidates carrying such documents into polling stations.
The clarification came after People's Party list-MP Parit Wacharasindhu released video footage, which he said showed two individuals inspecting and collecting voting notes or "cheat sheets" from Senate candidates. One of the individuals, according to Mr Parit, was an EC member.
The EC also rejected claims made by former election inspector Pol Col Manat Nakhonsri that he had warned EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee on the morning of the election about groups of candidates preparing coordinated voting lists.
Reviews of official records found no evidence that such a warning was made to Mr Sawaeng at the time claimed.
However, official records showed that Pol Col Manat formally submitted a report concerning the matter on June 28, 2024, two days after the national-level election.
The EC said it had the authority to issue measures to safeguard the integrity of the election and maintain order during the voting process.
Therefore, the commission agreed on June 26, 2024, that candidates advancing to the next round would not be allowed to bring documents into designated voting areas during the cross-voting process.
EC member Thitichet Nuchanatta acted in accordance with the commission resolution barring candidates from bringing documents into designated voting areas, according to the EC.
Meanwhile, Mr Parit said that discussions between representatives of the EC and a House committee on public independent agencies left several questions surrounding the EC's handling of the Senate election unanswered.
He said the EC must decide within 90 days of its first deliberation to pursue cases against individuals implicated in the alleged collusion scheme or dismiss the complaints. The decision was due in early September.
