Reserve Senators, accompanied by former Senate candidates, have submitted a petition to the Election Commission urging them to expedite the investigation report from Inquiry Panel 26 and send it to the Supreme Court's Election Case Division this month. They warned that if the case is dismissed, they will immediately file a countersuit and cautioned against becoming servants of influential powers.
At 11:30 a.m. on 3 August 2026, Mr. Akarawat Phongthanachalitkul, a Reserve Senator, along with Mr. Direk Pornseema, Mr. Aran Boonruang, and Mr. Chatwit Mongkolsan, former Senate candidates, visited the Election Commission office. They demanded that all seven Election Commissioners act independently, free from control by powerful figures, and promptly conclude the investigation from Inquiry Panel 26 and forward the case to the Supreme Court's Election Case Division within August.
Mr. Akarawat stated: If the Election Commission attempts to dismiss the complaints or drop charges against the 229 accused by claiming there is no basis, the public and former Senate candidates have prepared legal filings to sue the EC. This behavior amounts to an attempt to overthrow the government and impacts the sovereign power structure across the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
This case has been delayed for over two years despite evidence from CCTV footage and more than 3,000 ballots showing repeated voting according to slip numbers from 24-25 June through the actual election day on 26 June 2024. If the EC insists on not opening ballot boxes to verify the facts, they should preserve the ballots and not destroy them. They might as well fold them into funeral flowers for events honoring the powerful figures controlling the EC. Remember, the EC’s salaries, benefits, and pensions come from the taxes of over 60 million citizens, so they should uphold their honor and serve the people.
When asked about the EC's previous statement that bringing voting slips into booths is legal based on rulings from the Administrative and Supreme Courts, Mr. Akarawat clarified that the Administrative Court only permitted candidates’ introduction documents (S.W.3) inside booths because of the large number of candidates. This does not mean the court allowed slips for vote rigging or staging election fraud. Secretly writing names on the back of S.W.3 documents involved hiring people, transporting voters, providing trainers for thorough coaching, drawing charts, making introductions, and paying for votes.
“This is called rigging slips. I believe no court would rule this legal. If it were, Thai elections wouldn’t need campaigns anymore. Whoever has money just hands it out; whoever pays more gets elected—would it be like that? The EC is twisting the facts, even citing the Central Criminal Court for Corruption’s ruling that slips are legal, but that case is still under appeal and not final.”
He also challenged Mr. Saewang Boonmee, Secretary-General or Chairman of the EC, to publicly confirm whether hiring people to write voting slips, block votes, or rig Senate elections is truly legal or not.