Election Commission Explains Why Two Amnatcharoen Senators Qualified
The Election Commission upheld two Amnatcharoen senators' qualifications after dismissing challenges that claimed they lacked proper business registration, finding their decades of market vendor experience met legal requirements.
The Election Commission has released its decisions dismissing qualifications challenges against two Amnatcharoen senators: Daeng Kongma and Samphon Palasak, after activist Yiangcheepa Archannont of the Internet Law Project (iLaw) demanded transparency on the case. Both had been challenged for allegedly lacking qualifications to run in Category 10 (general business operators) due to operating without proper business registration documents. The Election Commission's ruling states that Daeng had worked selling pork at Ekacha Witchit market in Mueang district since 1997 and served as a market development committee member since 2004, meeting the ten-year experience requirement. Similarly, Samphon's twelve years selling chicken noodle soup qualified him under the law despite lacking formal business registration. The commission found sufficient witness testimony and community endorsements supporting both candidates' experience, and no government agency had formally notified the provincial election officials of any disqualifications. Therefore, the Election Commission dismissed both challenges, determining the candidates met legal requirements.
