Forum warned about ‘takeover’ of country
People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut has warned that alleged irregularities in the 2024 Senate election were the starting point of an attempt to gain control of the country.
Opposition leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut has raised concerns that alleged irregularities in the 2024 Senate election mark the beginning of an authoritarian regime's plan to seize control of Thailand. Speaking at an opposition leaders' forum at Parliament on Saturday, Mr Ruengpanyawut stated that the forum aimed to provide a platform for former opposition leaders to articulate their vision for a democratic political system, as opposed to an authoritarian one.
The forum followed the Election Commission's announcement that it would vote on the Senate election-rigging case on September 14th. Participants discussed scrutiny of the Senate selection process and the performance of independent organizations, which play a crucial role in selecting senators. Ruengpanyawut highlighted that three former opposition leaders, including Chaithawat Tulathon, Abhisit Vejjajiva, and Cholnan Srikaew, also attended the forum.
He expressed doubts about the independence of senators who may have been recruited through vote-rigging, suggesting that they have ties to the current government coalition. The forum took place approximately 100 days after Ruengpanyawut first raised concerns about what he termed the "blue regime," a reference to the coalition-leading Bhumjaithai Party.
He emphasized that the current role of the Election Commission is not to determine guilt or innocence but to forward the case file to the court if there are sufficient grounds to believe in election-rigging.
Written by urgent.news from Bangkok Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
