The Future Forward Party (FFP) has submitted a petition to the Office of the Ombudsman asking whether it thinks the Election Commission's (EC) decision to award one party-list seat each to 11 small parties is constitutional.
The EC announced the result of the March 24 general election last week with the FFP winning 80 House seats; 30 in constituencies and 50 from its party list. However, the party insisted the EC's calculation method was wrong and cost the party seven seats.
Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, the FFP secretary-general, said on Friday that even though the Constitutional Court ruled that Section 128 of the organic law on the election of MPs is in compliance with the charter, the court never said the EC's calculation is in line with the constitution.
He said the party's petition was intended to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on the EC's calculation and the status of the party-list MPs from small parties who were endorsed as a result of the EC's method.
Mr Piyabutr said he believed the EC's calculation method was against the constitution's will and the election result was in violation of Section 91 of the charter, which stipulates the required number of votes a party must win in order to earn a House seat. The FFP secretary-general was accompanied by a group of seven FFP candidates who failed to win seats. The group also lodged a similar petition with the Office of the Election Commission. The EC has so far maintained that its calculation method is legal.
Meanwhile, Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a former member of the dissolved Thai Raksa Chart Party, on Friday petitioned the EC to seek the dissolution of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) for allegedly violating the election law.
He claimed that the PPRP allowed a non-member, Chonsawat Asavahame, to take part in a rally on Feb 24 in Samut Prakan. Moreover, he said, Chonsawat is a former convict who was released from prison less than 10 years ago. According to Mr Ruangkrai, Chonsawat also joined the opening of the PPRP branch in the province and was mentioned as its head.
"This was to mislead the public. Mr Chonsawat isn't qualified and he can't be a party member, so how could he be the chief of the party branch?" he said.
He said the PPRP should be dissolved for being influenced by an outsider, which is prohibited under Section 28 of the organic law on political parties, and on this basis the EC should forward the case against the PPRP to the Constitutional Court within seven days.