• 
• 

Published on January 11, 2008

The Election Commission yesterday disqualified Prasop Busarakham, a People Power Party candidate for Udon Thani's Constituency 3 seat.

Prasop had earlier been shown a yellow card for poll violations, but the commission handed him the harshest punishment for making "malicious remarks" against rival candidates, commission secretary-general Suthiphon Thavee-chaiygarn explained.

His yellow card was for the indirect buying of votes in his constituency.

"The commission has increased the punishment after reviewing a second report dealing with Prasop's framing of rival candidates," he said.

He added that because of "time constraints" the commission had decided to announce rulings as decisions were made, rather than in one omnibus announcement.

The by-election in Prasop's constituency is on January 20.

Yesterday, the commission reviewed six allegations of electoral fraud. It endorsed the election of 15 constituency candidates and two party-list members.

The party-list candidates are Democrat Paitoon Kaewthong of Zone 2, which covers the lower North, and Thanathep Timsuwan of the People Power in Zone 3, which covers the Northeast.

The constituency candidates include 13 from People Power, a Democrat and a Chart Thai member.

As at yesterday, a total of 420 members of Parliament have been endorsed. The commission continues to review 60 results.

Commis-sioner Prapun Naigowit expected reviews should be completed in about 95 per cent of allegations by next Tuesday. He said there would be sufficient endorsed members to form a legal Parliament by January 22.

He said the commission was prepared to punish People Power deputy leader Yongyuth Tiyapairat if he was found guilty of electoral fraud.

No precedent for penalising a party-list candidate exists, but the commission could issue either red or yellow cards. Yongyuth's seat would go to the next candidate on People Power's list.

The votes involved in the Yongyuth allegations did not alter the five party-list seats won by People Power in Zone 1, he said.

Commission chairman Apichart Sukhagganond said Yongyuth would be allowed to view a controversial video, allegedly capturing him committing an illegal act.

Special Branch investigators have agreed to give him a copy tomorrow.

Yongyuth complained he had been denied a chance to see evidence against him and to rebut it.

"The commission will allow Yongyuth to rebut this evidence and a decision on his case has been postponed from tomorrow to a later date," he said. He would not name a date.

The Nation