Over 31,000 people have asked for Senate application packs across the country ahead of the Election Commission (EC) today beginning to vet prospective candidates.
EC secretary-general Sawang Boonmee yesterday went for a final inspection of application venues in Khan Na Yao and Bang Kapi district offices. He checked the readiness of officials who will oversee the application process and made some observations for officers to consider.
Senate applications will be accepted at 928 district offices nationwide from today until Friday. The submission is also open during the Visakha Bucha public holiday on May 22.
Mr Sawang said each candidate was required to pass a five-step application process of document verification, application submission, information recording, application fee payment and providing a reference.
Meanwhile, each office chief was presented as the venue director although Mr Sawang said some problems in the process were to be expected, especially if there were too many applicants and district offices needed extra time for background and verification checks.
He said officials will accept all applications as candidates are expected to verify their own documentation prior to submission. If there are any complaints, EC will run a background check later.
Mr Sawang said 31,285 people had asked for the application forms nationwide from May 10 until Saturday. The most popular area for applications is Bangkok.
The EC expects the number of applicants will hit its target of 100,000 before the submission period ends on Friday.
District, provincial and national level votes will be held on June 9, 16 and 26, respectively. The EC expects to announce the list of 200 senators on July 2.