The Democrat Party’s legal team discussed the issue of the Election Commission (EC) prosecuting only 77 suspects in the Senate vote-rigging case, aiming to close the matter quickly. Abhisit criticized the small number prosecuted as causing public doubt, pointing out suspicious elements in Ekarat’s reversal of testimony, which cited threats, and urged society to monitor political interference.
At 10:00 a.m. on 15 Sep 2026 GMT+7, the Democrat Party held a large legal committee meeting chaired by party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva. Attending were former Culture Minister and former party legal chief Nipit Intarasombat, former Nakhon Nayok MP Chanchai Isarasenaraks, and Rames Ratanachewang. They discussed the EC’s decision to prosecute only 77 out of 229 suspects in the Senate vote-rigging case over a two-hour meeting.
Later at 12:00 p.m., Abhisit and the party’s legal committee held a press conference. He said he had previously stated that 14 Sep would only be the beginning of the Senate vote-rigging case. Regarding the EC’s decision to prosecute only 77 individuals, he noted this was fewer than the 229 suspects recommended by the EC’s 26th inquiry subcommittee, and also fewer than the number suggested by EC Secretary-General Sarawut Boonmee. This indicated the EC’s decision did not cover all involved groups. He observed the EC seemed to apply standards tied mainly to criminal cases, although its authority covers both criminal and electoral cases. The EC can prosecute if there is reasonable evidence of illegality under election law, per past EC standards. Regarding political parties involved, the EC only mentioned that witnesses implicated them, but the EC should consider the overall picture, noting clear coordinated actions and meetings rather than isolated acts. It was suspicious that many prosecuted individuals, claimed as unrelated persons by the EC, actually belonged to the same political party.
Abhisit continued that allegations 3 to 7 involved individuals with similar behavior, but the EC did not investigate who planned the overall scheme. He also highlighted suspicion over the reversal of testimony by Ekarat Changlao, former Khon Kaen MP of the Bhumjaithai Party (then), who claimed threats from an unnamed man absent from the case files. He questioned why the EC did not seek the truth about this anonymous man, marking another EC irregularity. Ekarat’s move to the Kla Party and his claim of conflict between Bhumjaithai and Kla did not match reality, as there is no current conflict. Originally, Ekarat was accused but was later made a witness; after reversing his testimony, he returned to accused status, yet the EC did not charge him with perjury. Therefore, the Democrat Party urges the EC to disclose detailed personal rulings so society can understand the reasoning behind decisions. Most prosecuted are political party members but not part of the party’s executive committee, possibly because many no longer hold such positions. Notably, Supachai Pho Su, former Bhumjaithai MP, although not an MP during the Senate election, was then Secretary to the Minister of Interior, Anutin Charnvirakul.
