Commissioner Sodsri Satayathum said an old tactic by opponents of victorious candidates is to set up networks which lodge false complaints, either in a bid to set up the disqualification of the MPs-elect or to stall for time in the hope that they are not endorsed before the deadline. Ms Sodsri said she could not yet confirm if such tactics had been employed since the July 3 election, but conceded “anything is possible”.
“We can encounter both real and false complaints,” she said. She warned people against trying to deceive the EC. In the past, the EC has taken criminal action against people found to have been involved in dishonest complaints.
The watchdog has been flooded with between 300 and 400 complaints stemming from the July 3 poll, with the number rising after the election as complaints came in even after the polling day.
Evens so, the figure is still lower than in the previous general election, in 2007, said Ms Sodsri. Usually the EC only allows people to lodge complaints until the day of the election, but this year the period was extended to July 11.
Regarding the outstanding endorsements of MPs-elect, Ms Sodsri said the EC would probably pass more MPs tomorrow and add them to the 358 who have been certified so far.
The EC will tomorrow issue a new round of endorsements of MP victories in the election. Under the constitution, the EC is required to endorse 95%, or 475 of the total 500 parliamentary members, within 30 calendar days of a general election before the first lower house meeting can be convened.
If the EC could not finish its investigations into all the complaints before this time, it would endorse the remaining number first and then complete its investigations into complaints later so as to avoid breaking the charter, she said.
Key pollsters have interviewed people nationwide over the role of EC in handling the endorsement of MPs-elect.
Full Article: Bangkok Post : EC gets tough on complaints.