Senior opposition politicians have intensified allegations of widespread fraud in the 2024 senate election, claiming the process was designed to install a bloc of senators capable of controlling key independent institutions and calling on the Election Commission (EC) to open ballot boxes to verify evidence.
Speaking at a forum marking the second anniversary of the 2024 senate election, Prachachat Party leader Pol Col Tawee Sodsong described the alleged collusion as "a sophisticated attempt to undermine democracy".
Pol Col Tawee argued the country's power structure consists of the state, the government, parliament and what he called the "independent state" -- comprising the Constitutional Court, independent agencies and prosecutors. He alleged the senate was used as a means to consolidate control over these institutions because senators play a pivotal role in appointing officials to many oversight bodies.
"The goal was to capture Thailand by placing real power in the hands of 200 senators", he said, arguing that future elected governments could become powerless if oversight bodies were effectively controlled through the senate.
Pol Col Tawee, a former justice minister, said investigations launched by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) found evidence suggesting the alleged operation involved six or seven coordinated networks rather than isolated individuals.
He also criticised an EC regulation that assigned candidates the same ballot numbers throughout district, provincial and national rounds of the election, arguing the system enabled the use of pre-arranged voting lists, or "cheat sheets", that undermined the constitutional principle of secret balloting.
Pol Col Tawee questioned the EC's spending on the senate election, saying the agency allocated more than 200 million baht despite having fewer than 50,000 candidates.
He alleged that investigators had gathered more than 200 million CCTV images from over 120 cameras, along with mathematical and forensic evidence showing that some 10 groups of candidates cast nearly identical ballots, with a 99% match rate.
He urged the EC to open sealed ballot boxes, arguing that comparing vote totals between candidates allegedly using prepared voting lists and those who did not could confirm irregularities within half a day if examined by independent mathematicians.
Pol Col Tawee said legal action is currently underway on seven criminal charges, including cases involving 22 MPs and a political party, most of them from parties in the governing coalition, for allegedly assisting the senate election process.
Meanwhile, Parit Wacharasindhu, a People's Party list-MP, said the case should be described as senate election "fraud" rather than simple collusion because evidence suggested organised recruitment of candidates and voters through payments and other inducements.
Mr Parit warned that if the senators entered office unlawfully, it would cast doubt on the legitimacy of their subsequent actions, including approving constitutional amendments, scrutinising legislation and endorsing appointments to independent agencies.
Mr Parit expressed concern that both the EC and DSI could halt the investigation before it reaches the courts.
The EC is expected to decide by Sept whether to forward cases involving 229 individuals identified by an investigative panel, while the DSI is pursuing related cases involving allegations of criminal association and money laundering.
