The Political Affairs Committee calls on the Electoral Commission to clarify the election rules for senators, fearing a scandal – not transparent.

On March 28, 2024 in Parliament Mr.Parit Vatsarasindu List of MPs Progress Party (Committee) as Chairman of Committee (Committee) Political Development etc. Report on Monitoring and Scrutiny of Selection ProcessElect a SenatorFor the new set to take place in May, we have invited the Election Commission (Election Commission) came to present the information because the group had two types of concerns:

Principles of Information The power and appearance of the new senators may not yet be consistent with the principles of international democracy, as the new senators, while not having the power to elect the prime minister, still have the power to reject constitutional amendments. The Constitutional Court has the power to review or approve judges. This may come from a process in which the incumbent in an independent organization is not directly tied to the people through elections.

How to make the practical information process efficient, transparent and increase public participation? In terms of recruitment, there is not much clarity. What level of explanation would that be, including an explanation of the applicant's holdings in media of a restricted nature? There are still many areas that are still unclear, including the qualifications of the attestator, which the Election Commission will clarify by mid-month and another announcement on qualifications will be made in April.

Regarding aptitude test, Mr. Pritt further informed that if the district level applicant is rejected, the applicants can submit objections. If the number of applicants is in lakhs, I am afraid the number of arguments is also high. Time frame set is considered short time frame. As the Supreme Court has to consider the dispute before selecting the district level, the committee has suggested that it wants to create a clear certification scheme that employees will have in this case. Many people will consider the dispute before the deadline How to choose at the district level? Candidate campaigning about introducing yourself, the Election Commission explained that there will be restrictions even in mid-April, confirming that there will be a platform to disseminate information. and a 5-line introduction document for each applicant, each district, each occupation. Therefore, the committee suggested that it should be free and open to as many people as possible and organized. including right of access to information

Mr. Britt also said that it is significant that the ballots are currently designed with the risk of corruption, fraud and the sending of signals through the ballots. We have received confirmation from the Election Commission that independent observers and media will be allowed to monitor the counting of votes. As far as certification of results is concerned, there is no clear time frame as to how many days the results should be certified. But it is mentioned that if the election is found to be fair and just, the Election Commission certifies the results. If there are too many complaints or the Electoral Commission has doubts, there could be a delay in certifying the results, which would allow incumbent senators to continue to serve. Election Commission is giving confidence to the public that it can perform its duties indefinitely so within how many days we want it can certify the results?

“Though this process is a complicated process. It may still lack democratic legitimacy because it is not a direct election from the people. But under these limited rules we think all we can do is increase public participation. So, we urge the Election Commission to conduct public relations proactively. “To allow the public and interested parties to have access to more complete information in the Senate. And to ensure that the process is transparent and efficient,” Mr. Britt said.