Two ministers face serious allegations of abuse of power as they request the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to investigate vote-rigging claims.
The Constitutional Court has officially accepted a petition from 92 senators demanding a ruling on whether Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong should be dismissed from their roles for allegedly interfering with the Senate election process.
This petition aims to ascertain whether the ministers’ actions breached the constitution, specifically Article 170, Paragraph 1(4), regarding their involvement in a special investigation into alleged vote-rigging from last year’s election.
Senators charge that both ministers misused their authority by leveraging the DSI to compromise the independence of the Election Commission.
The court has requested a response from the ministers within 15 days but has opted not to suspend them at this time due to the lack of substantial evidence presented thus far.
The DSI was tasked with probing certain aspects of the 2024 election after complaints emerged from losing candidates regarding the Election Commission’s lack of urgency in addressing irregularities.
This investigation revolves around allegations of collusion aimed at facilitating the election of senators affiliated with the Bhumjaithai Party, which is the second-largest faction within the coalition government.
Known as the conservative “blue” bloc, this group comprises at least 120 senators out of 200, including 14 representatives from Buri Ram province, a stronghold for Bhumjaithai leader Newin Chidchob.
“Blue” bloc senators expressed outrage over the initial inquiries launched by the DSI. The agency later determined to narrow its investigation to focus on money laundering, leaving collusion allegations to the Election Commission.
Recently, the Election Commission revealed it has identified 27 “promising” cases of collusion but has not yet made a decision on whether to initiate a comprehensive investigation. The Commission has also indicated its readiness to collaborate with the DSI given the complexity of the case.
