EC not dealing with poll cheats: Democrats
Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday called on the Election Commission to nullify results from Sunday's by-elections, claiming some were fraudulent.
A day after the EC resolved to hold a third round of voting in 13 southern constituencies this Saturday, Suthep said the agency had failed to ban poll cheats. "The EC must hold transparent elections," he said. Suthep said the EC must investigate and cancel the results. He accused the Thai Rak Thai Party of hiring minor parties to field candidates in constituencies where government candidates would struggle to gain the minimum 20 per cent of eligible votes required under law to become MPs. By-elections were held on Sunday in 40 constituencies, 36 in the South, after lone TRT candidates failed to gain enough votes on April 2. Suthep demanded the EC sue candidates who broke the rules in last weekend's by-elections. Some parliamentary hopefuls, who failed to gain sufficient votes on April 2, moved constituencies only to be forced to withdraw by the Supreme Court, he said. Suthep said the EC kept silent, instead of cancelling House candidates for one year and punishing their parties, as required by law.
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