BANGKOK, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The Criminal Court of Thailand on Tuesday sentenced all the three remaining Election Commission (EC) members to an immediate four-year jail term without suspension for mishandling of the controversial April 2 and April 23 general election polls, which were later nullified by the Constitution Court.

    The judges also stripped the three, namely, EC chairman Wasana Permlarp and two commissioners Prinya Nakchudtree and Veerachai Naewboonnien, of the right to vote for 10 years.

    All the three commissioners though accepting the court's verdict, vowed to fight the case in the Court of Appeal.

    The trio were charged in a case lodged by Deputy Secretary General of the opposition Democrat Party Thaworn Senniam of violating Article 157 of the Criminal Law and the Articles 24 and 42 of the statute regarding the election agency for misconduct in organizing the April 23 by-election without a legal mandate and in circulating a letter to provincial election commissioners favoring ruling Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party candidates.

    If the court turns down the three commissioners' proposed payment of bail, their legal status as national election supervisors will immediately end.

    After the death of one election commissioner and the resignation of another, the remaining three commissioners have been pressured by critics of the government, as well as the opposition bloc to step down to pave the way for election of a new five-member elections panel to oversee the country's elections.

    Soon after Tuesday's sentence, Prinya gave a short interview to local TV on phone that he believed the three commissioners' status had not expired yet as the case has not been final by the Supreme Court's verdict.

    Prinya said that the three EC commissioners were still in office as the case against them had not been finalized.

    But the Council of State Tuesday reported to the Cabinet that the three election commissioners have already lost their status following a court ruling against them.

    Government Spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee told reporters that a senior official of the Council of State informed the Cabinet that the three EC commissioners' status was no longer valid.

    Following the interpretation by the Council of State, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra affirmed with reporters that the three EC members had lost their status and the process to select a new EC could begin right away.

    Thaksin expressed confidence that the new Election Commission would be appointed in a month and in time for organizing the Oct. 15 election.

    Thaksin said he believed the Supreme Court already had its choices of EC commissioners so the process to select a new EC would not take longer than a month. Enditem

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