Senate Grills Election Commission on Vote Buying, Court Referral
The Senate interrogated Election Commission leaders over a controversial 5:2 vote to refer a jurisdictional dispute to the Constitutional Court and plummeting public trust. Senators cited a survey ranking the EC last among independent agencies and warned that rampant vote buying — now up to 2,000 baht per vote — threatens democratic stability. A recent Constitutional Court ruling allowing direct lawsuits against the EC for electoral corruption added urgency to the debate.
At a Senate session on November 9, 2026, chaired by Senate Vice President Bun-song Noi-sopon, EC Secretary-General Sa-wang Boonmee and senior officials presented the commission's annual performance report for fiscal year 2025. Senator Tevarit Manichai said the EC's core value is independence and fairness, yet its ITA performance indicators did not match budget expectations. He cited a King Prajadhipok Institute survey placing the EC last among independent agencies for public confidence in performing duties, with only 32.8% progress on case and complaint resolutions. Delays in case handling, he said, erode public trust. Tevarit demanded facts on the 5:2 vote to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on the Supreme Court's jurisdiction.
Senator Prem Sakdi Piyayura said the EC report was largely administrative, while the public wants to know when corruption complaints will yield real integrity and justice. He described the EC as the "heart" of democracy, giving birth to MPs who form governments; its fairness is foundational. He added that control of the country and acceptance of independent bodies depend on how the EC manages Senate and local elections — the pillars of democracy.
Prem said vote buying in every election has escalated from 100-200 baht to 1,000-2,000 baht per vote, yet the EC appears unaware, calling it a "democracy crime." Vote buying leads to capital flight and unstable governments. Complaints produce winners and losers, yellow and red cards, but allegations persist that the EC writes lawsuits for losers and defenses for winners. "We must fix this together; the people's voice must not disappear," he said.
On the recent Senate election cases, Prem said the public asks how long each step takes and what progress has been made since the latest ruling, because every case costs public confidence. When votes are cast, the majority must explain its reasoning and the minority its basis — not simply declare the majority the winner.
Prem said the most surprising development was Constitutional Court Ruling 27/2026, which effectively allows the public to directly sue the EC as an independent agency for corruption in obtaining MP seats. The ruling, upholding an Appeals Court decision on jurisdiction, deemed such cases fall under the Criminal Court's corruption jurisdiction, based on the status of officials and the rights of citizens harmed by electoral corruption.
