source: Bkk Post
If the court rules against the PPP, its plans to form a coalition government will collapse, and the party will be dissolved.
Plans to set up a coalition government led by the People Power party (PPP) are hanging by a thread after the Supreme Court's Election Section agreed to rule on whether the PPP is a nominee of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party.
The court has decided to consider all four points in a petition lodged by Democrat candidate Chaiwat Sinsuwong. The first hearing is scheduled for Jan 15.
Mr Chaiwat has accused the PPP of being a nominee of the TRT, which was dissolved last year by the Constitution Tribunal.
He has also demanded that advance votes on Dec 15-16 and the Dec 23 polls be nullified.
In the petition, he has asked the court to rule whether the PPP was qualified to field candidates in the Dec 23 general election, if its leader Samak Sundaravej was eligible to endorse party candidates, if advance votes on Dec 15-16 and the Dec 23 polls were valid and if the distribution of VCDs of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra were illegal.
Mr Chaiwat said yesterday that he would be the first to take the witness stand and prove the allegations against the PPP.
"I will present evidence to show that the PPP is undoubtedly a nominee of the TRT. The EC's endorsement of the PPP as a political party is illegitimate and the PPP is not qualified to contest the polls," he said.
Democrat member Virat Kalayasiri said it was not hard to find proof to back up the charges against the PPP.
He said Mr Samak had conceded he was Mr Thaksin's proxy and the former prime minister urged voters to cast ballots for the PPP.
"The TRT and the PPP also use the same office building and have the same staff. If we were not confident [that we can prove the allegations], we would not have lodged the petition," he said.
If the court rules against the PPP, its plans to form a coalition government will collapse. If found guilty of the charges, the party will be dissolved.
The Supreme Court yesterday also accepted a complaint by political activist Theppanom Sriwittayarak, who called for nullifying of advance votes. A hearing has been scheduled for Jan 16.
On Dec 28 the court accepted a petition from Sarawut Thongpen of the New Aspiration party, who also asked the court to declare void advance votes. The court set Jan 11 for the hearing.
The EC yesterday endorsed 397 winning candidates in both the constituency and proportional representation system and suspended endorsement of 83 winners pending poll fraud investigations.
Four of the approved are party-list candidates from the PPP and the Democrat party.
The People Power candidates are Yongyuth Tiyapairat for zone 1, and Chavalit Wichayasut and Thanathep Timsuwan, both of zone 3. The other is Democrat Paitoon Kaewthong in zone 2.
Of the 83 being investigated, 65 are from the PPP, with six each from the Democrat and Puea Pandin parties, four from Chart Thai and one each from Matchimathipataya and Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana parties.
EC member Prapan Naikowit urged the suspended winners to clarify the allegations against them before the EC as soon as possible instead of dragging their feet.
"If the Election Commission endorses their win and later finds out about wrongdoing it will revoke their status and they will also face a five-year ban from politics," he said.
Candidates who are disqualified are banned from contesting elections for one year.
Chavornlat Chinthammit, a PPP candidate in Ratchaburi's constituency 1, yesterday asked the provincial election committee to review a vote tally report.
Ms Chavornlat, who came fourth in the contest, said there was a discrepancy in the votes counted. The number was out by 80.
She said she was only 46 votes behind Preecha Khamcharoen of the Democrat party, who finished third with 92,169 votes. There are three MPs in the constituency. She threatened to seek a recount if she did not receive fair treatment.
Manote Vajabundit, Ratchaburi's election director, has agreed to forward the petition to the provincial election committee.
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