The Election Commission (EC) is prepared to proceed with provincial-level voting in the Senate election scheduled to take place on Sunday despite complaints that poll officials have failed to weed out ineligible applicants.
The public is being urged to observe the provincial- and national-level voting to boost public participation and transparency even though there is no public vote.
Those interested in monitoring the election can submit their requests to the provincial election offices and the Office of the Election Commission.
Provincial-level voting in 77 provinces will involve 23,645 candidates who passed the district-level selection process on June 9. Sunday's round will produce 3,080 applicants across the country.
The finalists will vie for 200 seats at the national level on June 26 at Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi. The election results are expected to be announced on July 2.
Meanwhile, a group of candidates from Loei have filed a petition with the Administrative Court seeking an injunction ahead of Sunday's vote.
Jirasak Noiklam, one of the petitioners, said the group is seeking court intervention to prevent any damage that may arise from the alleged negligence of poll officials.
They stand accused of failing to properly examine the qualifications of all the candidates, some of whom have allegedly lied about their expertise or occupation and might have been bankrolled to join the election by politicians.
According to Mr Jirasak, the poll officials at both district and provincial levels have sent back-and-forth complaints about the candidates' qualifications and claimed they have no authority to examine them.
He said the Administrative Court is expected to rule on the poll officials' authority and duty with regard to the examination of the candidates.
The group earlier filed a lawsuit with the Loei provincial court against a group of 28 candidates for applying to contest the election despite knowing they were not qualified.
Khoompong Phumkhiew, the group's representative, said the candidates with questionable backgrounds lied about their occupation and thus were not eligible. He said the offence carries jail terms of between one to 10 years, a fine between 20,000 and 200,000 baht, and a 20-year ban from contesting any elections.
Despite the hefty penalties, these people joined the election and their participation has called into question the integrity of the new Senate, he added.
The EC has reportedly ordered a recount of the June 9 voting in Bangkok's Bang Khen district following a complaint that one ballot was not counted. The recount has reportedly been ordered for the inter-group voting involving Group C.
During that, 84 ballots were used. With three ballots ruled as spoiled, the final count should have produced 81 votes. However, only 80 were reported.