The Election Commission (EC) reveals progress in the vote rigging cases involving Senate elections, ordering further investigations into three cases linked to the orange political faction and iLaw after key witnesses postponed their testimonies.
On 18 Sep 2026 GMT+7, the Election Commission (EC) disclosed updates on the investigation into complaints concerning the Senate (S) elections. The EC plenary resolved to instruct the Central Investigation and Inquiry Committee No. 26 to conduct further inquiries into three outstanding cases due to insufficient evidence to make a final decision. These three cases involve allegations of vote rigging linked to provincial-level orange political groups, national-level vote rigging by the orange faction, and claims of vote rigging by an independent group.
A key obstacle delaying evidence collection in these three cases is a principal witness who has repeatedly requested to postpone giving testimony before the commission. This has directly slowed efforts to examine and connect crucial evidence, especially in tracing financial transactions related to Senate candidates and those behind the scenes, including expenses for organizing meetings. The inquiry committee must thoroughly gather all facts before presenting their findings again to the EC plenary.
The order for further investigation in these three cases follows the EC plenary’s prior resolution on a large vote rigging case involving 427 accused individuals. The EC decided to forward 77 accused, including 26 current senators, to the Supreme Court for criminal prosecution. Meanwhile, the EC dismissed complaints against political officeholders and party executives due to insufficient evidence. These developments have sparked public and opposition party criticism, which plans to request oversight of the EC’s work going forward.