Senatorial candidates showed up this morning at the polling stations in their respective provinces to report for the provincial level elections of senators.
19,754 male and 12,436 female candidates, out of a total of 46,206 registered, passed the district level selection process last Sunday.
The Election Commission’s (EC) secretary-general said today that only 3,080 candidates will advance to the final national-level elections, scheduled for June 26th.
Two rounds of voting are to be held today. In the first round, each candidate will be given two ballots with which they can cast their votes for two candidates, including themselves, in the same background group. The five with the most votes in each group will advance to the second round. If there are more than five with an equal number of votes, they will draw lots for the five who will advance.
In the second round of the selection, the 20 background groups will be merged into four. Candidates in each of the four “super” groups can cast only one vote for a candidate in another group. The two with the most votes in each group will advance to the national-level elections.
In Bangkok, the selection process is held being at the civic convention centre in Lak Si district. 1,634 candidates are eligible to take part, but 17 showed up late and have been disqualified.
Wantanee Wattana, the permanent secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said, however, that the disqualified candidates can file complaints with the EC, adding that election officials must follow the rules strictly.
Several celebrities were spotted among the candidates this morning at the civic centre.
About 40 police officers, including some from the bomb disposal and police dog units, have been deployed to ensure safety and order at the civic centre.
