Prits Watjrasinthu raised three doubts about the Election Commission’s resolution to prosecute only 77 individuals in the Senate vote-rigging case, pointing out that the reversal of testimony by Ekachai Changlao was used as a pretext to limit the investigation from implicating politicians in the Bhumjaithai party.
On 15 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Prits Watjrasinthu, party-list MP and deputy leader of the People’s Party, posted on Facebook highlighting three main issues he observed regarding the Election Commission’s majority decision today to prosecute only a small portion of those accused in the Senate vote-rigging case — prosecuting only 26 senators and no politicians holding official positions such as ministers, MPs, or party executives.
1. The Election Commission denies the existence of an organized "network" behind the Senate vote-rigging.
Prits stated that publicly available evidence clearly shows that the Senate vote-rigging was conducted as an organized network involving many candidates and related individuals. For example, at least 130 Senate candidate numbers appeared on the vote-rigging order slips and ballots. Candidates were scheduled and activities coordinated at vote-rigging centers in hotels near Bangkok (such as in Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, and Nakhon Nayok) one to two days before the national election. The procedures and patterns were consistent. Dozens, possibly over a hundred, senators accused reportedly gathered at the Pullman Hotel after being elected for an orientation and to agree on the election of the Senate president and vice-president.
Therefore, the Election Commission’s decision to prosecute only 26 senators denies the fact that these offences were committed as part of an organized network, and it is inappropriate to fragment or isolate individuals for prosecution by examining each incident separately.
2. The Election Commission does not give weight to the vote-rigging order slips, despite these being clearer evidence than what was used in previous cases the Commission prosecuted.
The Commission’s failure to prosecute all 130+ senators listed on the order slips (which the 26th investigation committee and the Secretary-General agreed should be prosecuted) represents a discretionary decision inconsistent with the Commission’s own past standards. For example, last year, the Commission prosecuted a case based on only a few LINE messages between two Senate candidates arranging vote-swapping (without offering money or other benefits). Yet in this case, the Commission has not prosecuted all senators named on the order slips, even though those slips and subsequent voting results constitute evidence of systematic vote-swapping, far more serious than the prior case involving two candidates.
3. The Election Commission relies on the reversal of testimony by witness Ekachai Changlao as the main reason to limit the investigation from reaching Bhumjaithai party politicians.
Prits stated that the Commission clearly announced that the primary reason for not prosecuting politically appointed suspects (ministers, MPs, party executives) from the Bhumjaithai party is because witness code 16, Ekachai Changlao, reversed his testimony.
However, as I communicated yesterday morning before the Commission’s vote, I believe that this reversal alone is insufficient reason for the Commission not to prosecute Bhumjaithai politicians because: 1. Besides Ekachai’s testimony, there is other evidence linking political officeholders of Bhumjaithai, such as call records and actions of their assistants or staff; 2. The reversal happened when Bhumjaithai was leading the government and was submitted in writing, raising questions about possible political motivation or coercion by government insiders at that time; 3. The second testimony, which reversed the first, contradicts publicly known facts, such as denying the existence of vote-rigging slips or their seizure from candidates.
Furthermore, many among the 77 prosecuted individuals are connected to Bhumjaithai, including Supachai Phosut, former Deputy Speaker from Bhumjaithai; Somjet Limpapan, Bhumjaithai MP; former Bhumjaithai candidates; and local executives affiliated with the party. It is therefore hard to believe that senior figures in Bhumjaithai would be unaware of or uninvolved in this network.
Meanwhile, Rakchanok Srinok, party-list MP of the People’s Party, posted on Facebook saying that if she were one of the “blue senator” defendants prosecuted by the Election Commission, she would expose the entire cheating conspiracy, questioning why the major perpetrators escaped prosecution while she did not. She added that if anyone must go to jail, they should not go alone, urging that if one person goes to hell, they should drag the others down with them.