EC has collected evidence on reported meeting of Senate candidates

The national round of voting for the Senate is taking place at Impact Forum Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi province. The session would see nearly 3,000 candidates vote among themselves to select 200 senators to replace the 250 outgoing members of the Senate appointed by the junta after the 2014 military-led coup, whose term ended on May 10.

In its press release issued on Wednesday, the polling agency said that it had been alerted about senatorial candidates gathering at meeting venues in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, and Nonthaburi provinces prior to the national level voting.

Complaints were filed to the EC urging it to investigate such meetings, which could be a façade for collusion among participants to vote or not vote for certain candidates, the statement said.

Electoral laws also prohibit any banquets or catering events for senatorial candidates.

The EC said that it was ready to pursue legal action against any candidate found to have violated the laws, while urging those who have evidence or clues of electoral law violation to submit them to the election agency as soon as possible.

Thai media had reported about such gatherings on Tuesday. The report said more than 500 Senate candidates had met at the Amari Don Muang Airport Hotel in Bangkok on Monday so they could “get to know each other better”.

One of the candidates who spoke on stage at the event said each participant paid 200 baht for the meal, so the event could not be categorised as catering, and therefore did not violate any laws.