Election bill to be sent for royal endorsement this month

By THE NATION

 

 

THE PRIME MINISTER will seek royal endorsement for the election bill this month after the Constitutional Court ruled that none of its clauses were unconstitutional, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday.

 

Wissanu, who is in charge of the government’s legal affairs, said the bill on the Senate structure would be submitted to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha within a day or two, as the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) had already sent it to the government.

 

Regarding the bill on the election of MPs, Wissanu said the NLA needed an official verdict from the Constitutional Court.

 

“Once the verdict is forwarded to the government by the NLA, the prime minister will then seek royal endorsement,” he said.

“That certainly will be done this month,” Wissanu added.

 

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled that the organic bill on the election of MPs was constitutional, a week after issuing the same verdict on the bill governing the Senate’s structure. Both bills, alongside two other key organic laws governing the Election Commission and political parties, are indispensable for holding an election, according to the charter.

 

The Constitution stipulates that the Election Commission must organise a general election within 150 days of the four organic laws coming into effect. 

 

Meanwhile, Meechai Ruchupan, who heads the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) that wrote the original bill on the election of MPs, yesterday noted that the Constitutional Court verdict on the bill contradicted a previous ruling by the court in 2006. 

 

In that year, the court had ruled that it was unconstitutional to arrange the voting booths in a way that allowed passers-by to see how the ballots were marked. Meechai said he wondered why this time it was not considered unconstitutional for a clause in the bill to allow disabled or elderly voters to be aided in casting their ballots. 

 

“In doing so, another person certainly knows how a person voted,” he said, implying that voting was not done in secret as required by the Constitution.

 

However, Meechai added that he accepted the court verdict regarding the election bill.

 

The CDC’s original draft was revised by the NLA to allow disabled or elderly voters to be offered assistance to cast their ballots.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30346804

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-02

29 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Election bill to be sent for royal endorsement this month

I'm assuming it will be sent by second class mail, to ensure it arrives either in two months or not at all.

 

The constitutional court has the best rubber stamps money can buy.

47 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Meechai said he wondered why this time it was not considered unconstitutional

Hey, Moron - YOU wrote the bloody constitution! Why are you trying to find fault with it. Just F off and die already. This country's had enough of you.

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

THE PRIME MINISTER will seek royal endorsement for the election bill this month after the Constitutional Court ruled that none of its clauses were unconstitutional

Clause 1. Thou will only return the anointed one.

Clause 2. If in doubt refer to clause 1.

Meechai said he wondered why this time it was not considered unconstitutional for a clause in the bill to allow disabled or elderly voters to be aided in casting their ballots. Maybe they will have military aid helping people vote at the polling booths !

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Clause 1. Thou will only return the anointed one.

Clause 2. If in doubt refer to clause 1.

The anointed one is the one endorsing the election bill.

Wouldn't it be cool if HM refused to sign? The last thing Thailand needs is another disposable "elected" government.

Wriggle room to delay election getting smaller and smaller. Let’s huddle and plan a arms cache. Maybe a few bombs for effect. Your usual scapegoats, I presumed? 

Sadly appointed MP's are legal too.  Not something to be proud of. 

On 6/2/2018 at 8:44 AM, tracker1 said:

Meechai said he wondered why this time it was not considered unconstitutional for a clause in the bill to allow disabled or elderly voters to be aided in casting their ballots. Maybe they will have military aid helping people vote at the polling booths !

Maybe because it's not a big drama and the need for disabled or elderly voters to cast their vote out weighs the unconstitutional hang-up.