Individuals who are found guilty of manipulating the senator election process could be banned from participating in politics for life, the Election Commission (EC) warned on Sunday.
EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee issued the warning in a Facebook post, in which he outlined the regulations for the Senate election.
The warning came after Sen Somchai Sawangkarn urged the EC to take action against any attempt to interfere with the upcoming selection of new senators.
Mr Somchai's urging followed a call by the chairman of the Progressive Movement and former leader of the now-defunct Future Forward Party (FFP), Thanatorn Juangroongruangkit on his supporters to sign up as candidates.
The Progressive Movement has launched a website called "senate67.com", by which would-be candidates could introduce themselves to the public. Access to the site has been restricted, with the group citing "unclear regulations of the EC".
Mr Somchai said the movement's push may constitute an attempt to interfere with the vote to elect 200 new senators to replace the junta-appointed ones whose terms expire on May 10.
The EC secretary-general said a senator, who would be selected from 20 professional groups, must be politically neutral, and the selection process will be different from the election for the House of Representatives.
Only people who have registered as candidates can vote in the Senate poll, he said.
Candidates are only allowed to make self-introductions and are prohibited from launching political campaigns, said Mr Sawaeng.
Mr Sawaeng also warned of punishments for violations of the rules, such as asking for favours in exchange for votes. Also outlawed are manipulation of elections, vote buying, hiring others to register as candidates, and registering as candidate with forged documents.
Mr Sawaeng also warned against encouraging people to register as candidates through certain groups or associations, as such actions may lead to unlawful exchanges. “People must register as senate candidates by their own will so they can remain independent,” he added.