EC might not have broken law, says Seri
The Election Commission (EC) may not have violated the law when it endorsed the winners of 133 constituencies on Monday but the method it used to do so has raised more concerns about the much criticised agency's independence.
The commissioners endorsed the 133 winners after discussing the matter in a conference call and then issued a letter rather than the usual decree. Former Bangkok senator Seri Suwanpanont said the commissioners were required by law to discuss balloting problems before voting to approve candidates. Although they could do this during a telephone call rather than a meeting the apparently casual method they chose makes it difficult for the public to trust them, he said. "The approval of election results should be conducted carefully and not in a hurried manner," Seri said. "The EC is attempting to endorse winners quickly to please the government and have all 500 MPs present for Parliament to open," he said. Wallop Tangkananurak, another former senator, agreed with Seri, saying the EC lacks proper standards. Because commissioners are supposed to be considering complaints, the quick endorsement is likely to make people believe the EC is trying to help the government, Wallop said. He called on the commissioners to resign, saying they lacked the public's trust. Democrat Party senior adviser Chuan Leekpai said the public was already suspicious of the EC so commissioners should be cautious. Endorsing candidates by telephone is not illegal, but by breaking precedent the commissioners raised questions, Chuan said. Former election commissioner Yuwarat Kamolvej said the commissioners might have felt it was necessary to endorse candidates over the phone, but the issue now is a lack of public trust. If the public had confidence in them the manner in which they endorsed candidates would not be an issue. The former election commissioners never decided which candidates to endorse by telephone or signed a circular sent round to them, as the current panel did, Yuwarat said. The People's Network for Elections yesterday demanded the commissioners resign, saying the public had lost trust in them. "If they are unprepared [to work] they should consider whether they ought to continue their work or not," network coordinator Somchai Srisuthiyakorn said.
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