Prachathiphat reveals five stages of the Senate election fraud scheme aimed at capturing votes in the upper house and discloses that the audio clip involving a vote-rigging network features a local mayor from Nong Khai Province, questioning if this is true.
On 15 August 2026 at Krungsri River Hotel in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, the Secretariat of the House of Representatives hosted the event “Opposition Leaders’ Forum: Political Institution Reform under the Constitution and Checks and Balances Mechanisms.” Prachathiphat Watcharasindhu, party-list MP for the Prachachon Party and coordinator of the opposition coalition, spoke about the Senate election fraud case. He stated this issue cannot be separated from the structural problems of the 2017 Constitution and independent organizations that lack public accountability. He outlined the Senate fraud process in five stages: planning to seize votes in the Senate, organizing and recruiting candidates into networks, gathering at ballot list centers before the national election, using ballot lists to control voting on election day, and the elected senators convening to decide the Senate president and vice president before starting work.
This process occurred alongside the Election Commission’s (EC) work, which can also be viewed in five stages: issuing regulations possibly insufficient to prevent fraud, questioning candidate qualifications, neglecting ballot list use on election day, slow legal action after the election, and concerns that the EC might close cases citing insufficient evidence. This raises questions whether these parallel processes happened coincidentally or involved complicity or collusion at some level, an issue needing further investigation.
Prachathiphat explained that the event was held at Krungsri River Hotel in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya because testimonies from multiple witnesses identified this location as one of the ballot list centers where Senate candidates gathered before the nationwide election on 24-25 June 2024. Collected information showed multiple venues in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Nayok, and Samut Sakhon were used as gathering points for candidates from various provinces. Linking witness accounts clarifies the networks of candidates and locations.
Regarding Krungsri River Hotel, witnesses reported candidates from Sukhothai and Nakhon Phanom congregated there. Other information linked to some current senators, based on previously presented parliamentary evidence and an audio clip inviting and offering benefits to other Senate candidates to join the network. Many believe the voice in the clip belongs to a senator who was also involved in providing financial trail evidence, including buying airline tickets for other candidates. Several witnesses said they saw this person at Krungsri River Hotel on 24-25 June 2024. Additionally, testimonies mention certain senators and politicians from Nakhon Phanom appeared at the hotel around the same time. All this remains under fact-finding investigation.
Prachathiphat pointed out that the previously released audio clip related to organizing Senate candidates raises the question whether the voice belongs to a local politician serving as a mayor in Nong Khai Province. Although this remains an allegation and requires further proof, the initial evidence includes images from the clip’s end showing people who, when compared, appear similar in terms of individuals, location, and room details.
Secondly, voice comparison from the clip shows a high similarity level warranting further questioning. Another piece of evidence is testimony from a witness who said that on 25 June 2024, they stayed at B2 Hotel in Rangsit, Pathum Thani, and were gathered with many nationwide voters. A person the witness called “Mr. Mayor” spoke, claiming to have a network of about 1,700 candidates nationwide and instructed candidates to note down specific numbers of persons to vote for as predetermined.
Prachathiphat said checking this information against hotel booking records found two bookings at B2 Hotel during 25-26 June 2024, paid through an account in this mayor’s name for eight rooms. Of the 12 guest names compiled, at least eight were Senate candidates. This raises questions whether the person in the clip is the same individual, and if so, what the clip’s events and statements imply, including any connections to political networks or parties.