Bangkok (VNA) – The Election Commission (EC) of Thailand has announced that 23,645 senatorial candidates, or more than half of the total, have passed the district-level selection process, held on June 9.
Among the notable names are former Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, former Democrat member of parliament (MP) Taenkhun Chitisara, former Thai Rak Thai MP Chakraphan Yomchinda, Director of Mongkut Wattana Hospital Dr. Rienthong Nanna, former public prosecutor Phanat Tasaneeyanon, and actor Phongsakorn Mahapaoraya.
The list of the names of those who progress to the next round will be sent to provincial election officials and posted on the EC Office’s web page. The successful candidates will be given new numbers for the provincial-level elections, slated for June 16.
According to the EC, 48,117 candidates registered for the elections, and 46,715 of them met the eligibility criteria. They come from 20 different professional fields such as law, agriculture, media, education, and do not belong to a political party.
Those who pass this first round will continue to undergo intra- and inter-group voting at the provincial level, followed by the national level on June 26. The final election results will be announced on July 2.
The new Senate will have 200 members./.
