Politicians too obsessed to fault one another: Somchai

"The checking mechanism is designed to weed out rogue politicians but checks should not be abused to fault political opponents," he said.

Somchai said democracy thrives on three principles - freedom, equality and brotherhood, but Thai politicians appear lacking in the brotherhood aspect.

Many electoral candidates prepared to dispute the voting outcome even before votes were cast and tallied, he said. Complaints should not be filed out of spite for opponents but to ensure the proper functioning of the political system, he added.