EC won’t move on premier

The Office of the Election Commission has thrown out two out of the more than 10 complaints that seek the disbandment of some parties and the removal of the prime minister and some cabinet members, due to insufficient information, according to an official.
Sawaeng Boonmee, secretary-general of the Election Commission (EC), said the EC office had received more than 10 complaints since the formation of the new government but two had been rejected.
He did not go into details, saying he did not remember the specifics of those cases. However, he said the complaints filed with the EC sought to seek the dissolution of some parties and the removal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and some cabinet members.
He said the EC office rejected the two complaints because they did not meet the criteria for valid complaints. They appeared to only ask questions with the EC, he said.
Anyone who files a complaint with the EC must specify the offences and which sections have been infringed, he said. Citing information and wordings from newspapers and asking questions with the EC do not count, he said.
“The agency will review the rest of the complaints first without dragging its feet, and if any complaints lack sufficient information or evidence, they will be dismissed at an early stage,” he said.
One of the two rejected complaints in question is said to allege that the ruling Pheu Thai Party allowed itself to remain under the influence of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is not a party member.
On Aug 19, an anonymous petitioner filed the complaint with the EC office, citing the Constitutional Court’s ruling to remove Srettha Thavisin as prime minister on Aug 14.
The complaint said the court ruled that Mr Srettha had violated ethical standards for allowing a person, whom ex-lawyer Pichit Chuenban worked for, to dictate that Pheu Thai give Pichit the post of PM’s Office Minister.
The court was apparently referring to Thaksin, as Pichit served as his defence lawyer in a corruption case.
Furthermore, core members of Pheu Thai also gave media interviews in which they showed that they respected and accepted directions from Thaksin, according to the complaint.
The organic law governing political parties says it is illegal for a person who is not a member of a party to control, dominate or instruct party activities in a way that causes the party or its members to be directly or indirectly influenced.
On Aug 28, prolific petitioner Ruangkrai Leekitwattana asked the EC to evaluate Ms Paetongtarn’s eligibility to hold the post of prime minister, questioning the date of her resignation from positions in 21 companies in her family’s business empire.
He said Ms Paetongtarn was elected prime minister by the House of Representatives on Aug 16. He asked the commission to look into whether Ms Paetongtarn had tendered her resignation from all executive roles in the family’s companies by Aug 15, or not, and why her resignation was registered on Aug 19, three days after she was elected.
Meanwhile, Mr Sawaeng said government coalition member Bhumjaithai Party is unlikely to face dissolution because the allegations made against its former secretary-general Saksayam Chidchob do not provide grounds for party disbandment.
He said the EC is looking into accusations the party unlawfully received donations from Burijarearn Construction, a construction company allegedly owned by nominees of Mr Saksayam, who was found guilty in January by the Constitutional Court in an asset concealment case.
He said the EC’s inquiry team has been given extra time to collect and establish the facts although the complaint can be finalised in a month or two.
Citing legal facts, he insisted the case against Mr Saksayam is not linked to the party in a way that would warrant party dissolution.
It is not the same with the Constitutional Court ruling against the now-dissolved Move Forward Party, which was disbanded for attempting to subvert the constitutional monarchy, he noted.