A group of 21 senior national academics have joined together to issue a statement urging the Election Commission (EC) to stop delaying the "senator collusion" case and to promptly submit the matter to the Supreme Court for consideration.
On 30 June 2026 GMT+7, a group of 21 senior academics from various fields jointly released a statement titled “Crisis of Trust in the Process of Becoming Senators: The EC Must Urgently Submit Empirical Evidence to the Supreme Court Before the Legislative System Collapses.” Notable signatories include Dr. Arthit Urairat, Associate Professor Dr. Jermsak Pinthong, Professor Emeritus Dr. Theerapat Serirangsarit, Associate Professor Dr. Nipon Puapongsakorn, and Associate Professor Dr. Sirilak Komant.
The statement points out that since the EC certified the senator election results and allowed them to assume office in the upper house, two full years have passed. However, statistical data and clear empirical evidence show that many senators are not genuine representatives of qualified experts but products of a process involving installation, vote-blocking, and widespread corrupt collusion, known as the “senator collusion process.” The EC’s continual neglect and silence over these two years reinforce public perception that the EC is merely a “rubber stamp” or a postal service forwarding lists, disregarding the principles of integrity and fairness.
The senior academics warn with concern that the Senate is the “source” of the legislative process and holds significant power to appoint members to independent agencies and the Constitutional Court. Allowing this upper house to be dominated by vested interests, influential groups, or political party nominees would completely undermine the country’s system of checks and balances, turning independent agencies into political tools. This would lead the nation into a severe constitutional crisis and potentially escalate into major social conflict.
To prevent the collapse of the country's legal and regulatory framework, the group makes direct demands to the EC: stop delaying and urgently send the case file and all evidence to the Supreme Court for immediate adjudication, removal, and punishment of offenders; pursue criminal prosecution to the fullest extent; thoroughly expose and cut off the network of hired candidates and all those behind the collusion process without exception.
“The country will fall into chaos if those enforcing the law lack courage. As senior academics, we call on the EC to uphold its dignity and duty to the nation, rigorously enforce the law, and promptly refer the matter to the Supreme Court for judgment before Thailand’s justice and parliamentary systems collapse beyond repair. We also invite the public to closely monitor and pressure for a thorough investigation,” the senior academics’ statement concludes.