The former opposition Democrat Party of Thailand Tuesday urged the Election Commission (EC) to declare the results of last Sunday's by-elections in provinces null and void, and see to it that electoral rules will be strictly observed in the next round of by-elections scheduled for Saturday.

Democrat Party Secretary-General Suthep Thuaksuban called on the agency not only to scrap the outcome of the by-elections, mostly in the southern provinces, but also to take legal action against the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) led by caretaker prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Suthep alleged that the Thai Rak Thai Party had hired small, little-known parties to nominally contest constituencies which otherwise would have only a single candidate running unopposed.

The Democrat Party also called for disqualification of candidates who had allegedly breached the Constitution's Article 108 and organic laws by switching constituencies.

Suthep quoted the Supreme Court as earlier having ruled against candidates switching individual constituencies.

In his petition to Election Commission Chairman Vasana Peumlarp, Suthep alleged 17 candidates, running under the tickets of small, little-known parties and acting at the orders of the TRT, had changed constituencies in spite of the Supreme Court ruling while certain officials of the polling agency had collaborated in such wrongdoings.

The Election Commission is urged not to neglect its duties to assure a fair and clean election so that such breaches of the electoral rules will not occur again in Saturday's by-elections, while the accused candidates are to be deprived of the rights to contest for a one-year time and their party leaderships be given legal penalties.

Candidates to contest Saturday's by-elections must submit their applications on Wednesday and Thursday.

Source: Xinhua