Wicha warns political collusion in Senator elections destroys democrac

Thansettakij•Politics•22d ago

Reader Briefing

Professor Wicha Mahakun warns that collusion in Senator elections undermines the rule of law and threatens Thai democracy.

•On September 30, 2026, the Royal Society and the Office of the Royal Society held an academic seminar titled 'Senator Collusion Case: The Truth Every Thai Must Know'.
•Professor Wicha Mahakun described political collusion as a severe development where groups rig election results for their own benefit.
•Wicha Mahakun argued that the current Senator election system has loopholes allowing for 'block votes' and the use of political networks.
•Wicha Mahakun urged that these issues be resolved within 3 months to preserve the democratic system.

•The Royal Society and the Office of the Royal Society organized a seminar on September 30, 2026.
•Wicha Mahakun defined 'collusion' (Hua) as conspiring or cooperating, which in the context of political elections is used to rig outcomes for personal gain.
•Wicha Mahakun stated the Senator election process is vulnerable to collusion because it relies on self-selection and cross-group voting without general public participation.
•Wicha Mahakun described how political networks and capital groups use 'block votes' and hired candidates to control the Senate.
•Wicha Mahakun warned that if political parties control the Senate through collusion, they can control the state's entire oversight mechanism and independent organizations.
•Wicha Mahakun asserted that political collusion destroys the spirit of the Constitution and erodes public trust in state organizations.
•Wicha Mahakun argued that cases of political collusion should be handled via an inquiry system by the Election Commission and the Supreme Court's Election Division rather than a standard criminal trial.
•Wicha Mahakun called for the correction of these problems within 3 months to prevent the return of a dictatorship.

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Wicha Mahakun

"If we allow this system to persist, the democratic system will be destroyed and the dictatorship that we do not want will enter."

ถ้าเรายอมให้ระบอบอย่างนี้ ยังคงอยู่ ระบอบประชาธิปไตยจะถูกทําลาย และระบอบเผด็จการที่เราไม่ต้องการจะเข้ามา

Wicha Mahakun(วิชา มหาคุณ)

A Special Professor and former member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Royal Society(ราชบัณฑิตยสภา)ℹ️

An organization that co-hosted the academic seminar on Senator collusion.

Office of the Royal Society(สำนักงานราชบัณฑิตยสภา)ℹ️

An organization that co-hosted the academic seminar on Senator collusion.

National Anti-Corruption Commission(คณะกรรมการป้องกันและปราบปรามการทุจริตแห่งชาติ)

An organization with the power to handle serious offenses including bid rigging with maximum penalties of life imprisonment.

Supreme Court(ศาลฎีกา)ℹ️

The court that establishes precedents regarding bid rigging and considers the revocation of election rights.

Constitutional Court(ศาลรัฐธรรมนูญ)ℹ️

The court with power over processes that may be unconstitutional.

Election Commission(คณะกรรมการการเลือกตั้ง)

The body responsible for investigating whether elections are conducted dishonestly and unfairly.

Supreme Court's Election Division(ศาลฎีกาแผนกคดีเลือกตั้ง)

The entity responsible for proceeding with election cases based on files from the Election Commission.

Constitution(รัฐธรรมนูญ)ℹ️

The supreme law whose intent for diverse professional representation in the Senate is allegedly destroyed by collusion.

Criminal Code Section 157(ประมวลกฎหมายอาญามาตรา 157)

A legal section mentioned as having less severe penalties than the laws governing serious corruption.