Probe into vote abuse by Yingluck commences
Source: Agencies |
July 14, 2011, Thursday
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THAILAND'S state Election Commission has begun investigating would-be Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for possible violations of electoral laws before her party won this month's election.
The commission said complaints allege that people banned from politics were active in her campaign. One person who is under a legal ban is Yingluck's brother. Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is charged with helping her Pheu Thai party.
It won 265 seats in the 500-seat lower house of parliament on July 3. The commission on Tuesday certified the winners of 358 seats in the lower house of parliament. Yingluck is among 142 candidates whose certifications were deferred.
Yingluck said yesterday she was confident her party would emerge unscathed from a series of probes into alleged violations that have so far delayed the endorsement of the July 3 general election when her Pheu Thai Party won in a landslide.
The commission has until the end of the month to process dozens of complaints and approve 95 percent of the winners, or 475 seats, in order to endorse the poll and allow parliament to convene and start the process of choosing a prime minister.
Yingluck, a 44-year-old businesswoman and political novice aiming to become Thailand's first woman prime minister, said she was unfazed by the delay in endorsing her.
"We are confident that Pheu Thai and I will be given justice," she told reporters. "We respect public opinion and the work of the Election Commission."
Among others awaiting approval were outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and several senior members of his Democrat Party, which will return to the opposition benches after winning 159 seats.
A senior commission official said yesterday he expected the organization to have endorsed 475 winners by July 28.
Suthipol Thaweechaikarn said his agency would speed up pending reviews of cases involving Yingluck, Abhisit and leaders of the "red shirt" protest movement on Pheu Thai's ticket.
"The commission will base its decisions on the letter of the law and facts. Any groundless complaints will be dismissed, and those with supporting evidence will be further investigated. More endorsements will be announced next week," he told reporters.
The complaints against Yingluck and her party centered on alleged campaign violations, including illegal assistance from banned politicians.
Complaints have been filed against red shirt leaders who ran as Pheu Thai candidates.
The commission said complaints allege that people banned from politics were active in her campaign. One person who is under a legal ban is Yingluck's brother. Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is charged with helping her Pheu Thai party.
It won 265 seats in the 500-seat lower house of parliament on July 3. The commission on Tuesday certified the winners of 358 seats in the lower house of parliament. Yingluck is among 142 candidates whose certifications were deferred.
Yingluck said yesterday she was confident her party would emerge unscathed from a series of probes into alleged violations that have so far delayed the endorsement of the July 3 general election when her Pheu Thai Party won in a landslide.
The commission has until the end of the month to process dozens of complaints and approve 95 percent of the winners, or 475 seats, in order to endorse the poll and allow parliament to convene and start the process of choosing a prime minister.
Yingluck, a 44-year-old businesswoman and political novice aiming to become Thailand's first woman prime minister, said she was unfazed by the delay in endorsing her.
"We are confident that Pheu Thai and I will be given justice," she told reporters. "We respect public opinion and the work of the Election Commission."
Among others awaiting approval were outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and several senior members of his Democrat Party, which will return to the opposition benches after winning 159 seats.
A senior commission official said yesterday he expected the organization to have endorsed 475 winners by July 28.
Suthipol Thaweechaikarn said his agency would speed up pending reviews of cases involving Yingluck, Abhisit and leaders of the "red shirt" protest movement on Pheu Thai's ticket.
"The commission will base its decisions on the letter of the law and facts. Any groundless complaints will be dismissed, and those with supporting evidence will be further investigated. More endorsements will be announced next week," he told reporters.
The complaints against Yingluck and her party centered on alleged campaign violations, including illegal assistance from banned politicians.
Complaints have been filed against red shirt leaders who ran as Pheu Thai candidates.
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