Constitutional Court terminates Somchai’s senatorial status

The Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday to terminate the senatorial status of Somchai Lenglak, who has been banned from elections by the Supreme Court for ten years.

The court determined that Somchai was not qualified to be elected as a senator and declared that his status as a member of the upper house should be revoked retroactively from 11 December last year, when the court accepted the Election Commission’s petition to investigate him.

On 11 December 2024, the court had suspended Somchai from duty pending its ruling.

The Election Commission had requested the Constitutional Court to decide whether Somchai’s senatorial status should be revoked after the Supreme Court found him guilty of violating election laws. As a Bhumjaithai Party candidate in Songkhla’s 2023 general election, Somchai was found to have given consent to vote-buying by his canvassers.

The Constitutional Court ruled that the Senate Speaker must appoint the highest-ranking candidate from the waiting list as the new senator, replacing Somchai with immediate effect.

Although Somchai’s status was retroactively revoked from 11 December, the court stated that the senatorial vacancy would be officially recognised from the day the verdict was read—Wednesday, 26 March.

Following the ruling, Somchai stated that he accepted the decision and would continue his political activities outside Parliament.