Election Commission awaits 3pm ruling on fate of 229 in Senate election collusion case
RegulationGeopolitics
The Election Commission is preparing to announce the outcome of its inquiry into the Senate election at 3pm today, with attention focused on whether the commissioners will resolve to indict all 229 named suspects accused of involvement in rigging the Senate election. The vote covers 138 current senators as well as 91 politicians and party executives. The Election Commission began meeting at 10am and has raised security to its highest level, erecting steel barriers around the area and barring media from the building until the press conference. It has also coordinated with police from Metropolitan Police Division 2 and Thung Song Hong police station to maintain strict order. Three possible outcomes are seen for today's decision: indicting all 229, which, if filed with the Supreme Court's Election Division, would require the senators named in the petition to suspend their duties immediately once the court accepts the case and could lead to a vacuum in the Senate; dismissing the entire petition if evidence is deemed insufficient, which would draw heavy criticism from opposition parties and the public; and indicting only some while dropping the names of political leaders, which would be criticised as selective treatment and could affect the government's political stability.
