A screening committee has chosen five election commissioner candidates from a list of 24 to be endorsed by the National Legislative Assembly later.
They are:
- Santhat Siriananpaibul, an environment technology lecturer at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi;
- Somchai Charnnarongkul, director-general of the Agriculture Extension Department, Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Ministry;
- Itthiporn Boonprakong, former director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs and ex-ambassador to Nairobi and the Hague;
- Peerasak Hinmuangkhao, former governor of Buri Ram, Pathum Thani, Ranong, Chumphon and Nakhon Ratchasima; and
- Thawatchai Terdpaothai, a former member of the defunct National Reform Steering Assembly
The five candidates were shortlisted after the 24 candidates expressed visions before the screening committee. They won two-thirds of the votes of the seven-member panel as required by the Election Commission law.
They would join the two candidates earlier picked by the Supreme Court -- Chatchai Chanpraisri, a chief Supreme Court judge, and Pakorn Mahannop, a Supreme Court judge.
The list has been sent to the NLA's president and the candidates will be vetted by a panel before a vote.
The NLA on Feb 22 rejected the previous list of EC candidates. Although it did not give explanations, it was understood the rejection came because the Supreme Court had not chosen the two candidates in its quota in an open manner as constitutionally required.
The pair the court picked this time were the same ones chosen earlier but this time they were selected in an open vote.
According to the EC law, the EC screening committee comprises the presidents of the Supreme Court, House of Representatives (NLA) and Supreme Administrative Court, as well as the leader of the opposition (NLA) and persons appointed by the Constitutional Court and other independent organisations.
