NEW ELECTION COMMISSION CHOSEN; ELECTION DATE WILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 005568 SIPDIS SIPDIS TREASURY PASS TO FRB SAN FRANCISCO/TERESA CURRAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM TH SUBJECT: NEW ELECTION COMMISSION CHOSEN; ELECTION DATE WILL BE SET SHORTLY Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton, reason 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The new election commissioners have been chosen and are expected to meet soon to set an early date for the new election, which will most likely be held in November. Overall, the five new EC members are viewed as appropriately non-partisan. Opposition complaints that the openly anti-government candidates lost seem to us inappropriate -- after all, the commission is supposed to neutral. The selection of the Election Commission brings us one important step closer to the long-awaited new elections. End summary. ¶2. (C) The outgoing Senate has chosen five new members of the Election Commission, taking another important step toward resolution of the political impasse here. The Commissioners will meet later this week to choose a Chairman and are expected to propose a new election date shortly. While some opposition groups are campaigning for a top to bottom review of Election Commission officials in the provinces -- which could take months -- most people are expecting the date to be set for sometime in November. ¶3. (C) The five commissioners were selected from 10 candidates nominated by the Supreme Court, and most of our opposition contacts said that all were acceptable. One outspoken government opponent told us that one of the candidates was extremely corrupt (he lost) and another was a "womanizer" (apparently not a problem -- he won a seat.) The opposition press complained that there was "block voting" by a group of senators who are covert supporters of the Prime Minister's Thai Rak Thai (TRT). (Note: Senators are supposed to be non-partisan, but a large number were reportedly co-opted to support TRT -- and a smaller number to support the opposition. End note.) Further demonstrating the new independence of the high courts, three of the 10 candidates seemed, if anything, to be inclined against the Prime Minister's party. These included the judge who researched the case against TRT (for hiring small parties to run in the April election) and who recommended that the party be dissolved. None of these "anti-government" candidates won. ¶4. (C) Comment: Although there is some kvetching from the opposition that none of "their" three candidates made the cut, it seems to us fair enough that that candidates with a track record of opposing TRT were not chosen for the politically-neutral Election Commission. The new commissioners were more eagerly awaited that Tom Cruise's baby; they will enjoy at least a brief honeymoon while everyone rejoices that we are one important step closer to the new elections. BOYCE