Top Court Approves Senate Election Rules, Sets Hearing Dates In Other High-Profile Cases

The Constitutional Court unanimously deemed the Senate election rules compliant with the organic law, paving the way for the the ongoing voting process to advance to its final stage next week. The national stage of the election will take place on Jun 26 during the IMPACT Forum, with 3,000 candidates competing for 200 seats in the revamped upper house.

• In another high-profile case, the apex court set the date for considering a dissolution case against the main opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) for July 3. The MFP and the Election Commission were ordered to present their witnesses and evidence on July 9, which suggests that the verdict will be issued after that date.
• The top court held off on ruling in PM Srettha Thavisin's ethics case and asked all stakeholders to submit more information within the next two weeks, without providing details on what kind of additional documents were required. The next hearing for Srettha's case has been scheduled for July 10.
• Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, the political patron of the ruling Pheu Thai Party (PTP), was released on bail of THB500k after being arraigned on lese-majeste. The court accepted his case this morning, formally making him a defendant, which means that Thaksin is prohibited from leaving the country.
• The three unresolved cases will remain under close scrutiny in the coming weeks, due to their potential to rattle the domestic political scene. Meanwhile, a green light for the senatorial election means that the upper house should soon be ready to resume deliberations, with the results expected to be gazetted on July 2.