A selection committee has chosen nominees to fill two vacant Constitutional Court seats, after court president Nakharin Mektrairat and judge Punya Udchachon completed their seven-year terms.
The committee, chaired by Supreme Court president Chanakarn Theeravechpolkul, on Thursday announced the selection of Pol Capt Sutham Cheurprakobkit, 62, a public administration professor at Mahidol University, and Sarawut Songsivilai, 60, former director-general of the Department of Rail Transport and the Department of Highways.
Seven applicants were competing for the two positions. Among the high-profile candidates was Chaiyan Chaiyaporn, 65, a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University who made headlines for tearing up his ballot in the 2006 election to protest against the undemocratic dissolution of parliament by then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Despite a past suspended jail sentence and a five-year ban from political activity, Prof Chaiyan maintained that he was fully eligible to serve, citing the restoration of his political rights in 2019.
He applied as an expert in political science and public administration and emphasised his non-partisan stance and deep experience in teaching and researching constitutional monarchies.
The two successful nominees will now undergo background and ethical checks by a Senate committee. If cleared, their names will be submitted to the Senate for final approval.
The two previous candidates chosen by the selection committee failed to win a majority of votes in a closed-door meeting of senators in March. No explanation was given.