The Senate has approved Anan Suwannarat and Narong Rakroi to serve as members of the Election Commission (EC), filling the two vacant positions.
The approval came during yesterday’s Senate meeting, presided over by Deputy Senate Speaker Kriangkrai Srirak, following a review by the Standing Committee on Background, Conduct, and Ethical Behaviour, chaired by Sen Chattawat Saengpetch.
After the deliberation, Gen Kriangkrai opened the floor for voting on the nominees.
The voting results were: out of 167 votes cast, 137 were in favour of Mr Anan, one opposed, and 29 abstained. As for Mr Narong, 135 votes out of 168 were in favour of him, 32 abstained, and one did not vote.
Earlier yesterday, the People’s Party (PP) called on the Senate to delay the vote to select the two new members of the EC over concerns about a potential conflict of interest among some senators.
PP spokesman Parit Wacharasindhu said he had asked Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul during a debate in parliament on Sept 30 to urge the Senate to delay the vote, as several senators are currently under investigation by the EC for allegedly colluding to manipulate the outcome of the Senate election.
Allowing senators to pick new members of an agency which is currently investigating them posed a huge conflict of interest, which could undermine public trust in the electoral agency, which is meant to be an independent body, Mr Parit said.
Although Mr Anutin, as the head of the executive branch, has no authority to compel the Senate to act in any particular way, he said, the prime minister could use his influence to get the Senate to delay the vote, as the issue concerns public and international confidence in his government.
However, Mr Anutin had yet to respond, he said.
Speaking ahead of the vote on the new commissioners he said if it proceeded as planned, three of the nation’s seven election commissioners would have been appointed by senators currently facing corruption allegations, he said.
Two more election commissioners are due to complete their seven-year terms by the end of this year he said.
Mr Parit unsuccessfully called on the Senate to postpone the vote until the EC concludes its investigation, before urging the EC to proceed with the investigation in a timely manner.