Key state bodies to meet on legal hurdles to election

By KAS CHANWANPEN 
WASAMON AUDJARINT 
THE NATION 

 

 

A KEY meeting today to discuss legal problems on the path to the next election may not lead to concrete resolutions, as the participants are not decision-makers, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday.

 

He said officials concerned with the preparations for the national vote, from the government, the Election Commission (EC), |the Constitution Drafting Commission, and Council of State – which is the government’s legal adviser – would take part in the meeting.

 

Wissanu, who is in charge of the government’s legal affairs, said the discussion at Government House would focus on obstacles that political parties are facing due to the Political Parties Act and the NCPO Order No 53/2017, which made some amendments to the new law.

 

Political parties have complained that the order issued by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) last December, in addition to the junta ban on political activities, had restricted them from preparing for the election, such as holding primary voting among party members to select election candidates.

 

“The discussion may not lead to a conclusion. It’s because the participants cannot make decisions by themselves,” Wissanu said yesterday.

 

No representatives from political parties have been invited to attend today’s meeting, he said.

 

Wissanu expected the EC to raise the issues viewed as obstructing the preparations for the election. The EC is likely to ask the NCPO to issue an order under Article 44 of the post-coup charter allowing the agency to designate constituencies before the new electoral law takes effect.

 

The EC plans to discuss with the government the difficulties faced by political parties, the agency’s secretary-general, Jarungvith Phumma, said yesterday. He will be representing the EC at the meeting today. 

 

The issues include recruitment of party members and convening party assemblies, according to Jarungvith. These should be fixed to allow parties to make arrangements for the election, he added. 

 

The agency would recommend solutions to the problems but it was up to the NCPO to make a decision, Jarungvith said.

Meanwhile, the two major political parties took opposing stances on whether to join a meeting with the junta that is expected later this month.

 

Chusak Sirinin

 

Key Pheu Thai member Chusak Sirinin said his party remained firm in its opinion that electoral matters were the EC’s responsibility and that the NCPO should stay out of it.

 

He said since the NCPO was now showing signs of political ambition by forming its own political party, it had become a stakeholder in the election and hence lacked legitimacy to host talks to discuss the election with other parties, Chusak said.

 

Democrat deputy leader Nipit Intrasombat said party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva had already said that it would cooperate with the NCPO. So, it was likely that the Democrats would join the talks, he said.

 

However, another Democrat deputy leader, Ongart Klampaiboon, said yesterday that so far the party had not been officially approached by the NCPO about the meeting. The party had to first see the agenda before it could prepare itself, he said.

 

Ongart said he was particularly concerned about the timeframe set by the law. He was uncertain if it was sufficient for political parties to make arrangements before the election.

 

Lt-General Pongsakorn Rodchompoo, deputy leader of tentative Future Forward Party, was firm that his party would not attend the junta-initiated meeting with political parties unless the meeting were broadcast live to ensure transparency. 

 

“We are just a newborn party. We will not have that much weight in the meeting anyway,” Pongsakorn said, adding the meeting would be just a ritual for the junta and it would not actually seek the opinion of politicians.

 

Chart Thai Pattana Party keyman Varawut Silpa-archa said that his party would be happy to join if invited but the junta would have to make clear the pre-election timeline at the meeting.

 

“We are not setting any conditions to speak to the [NCPO]. We only would like to figure out a schedule ahead of the election, which the PM said would be held next February,” Varawut said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30347696

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-14

 

More preparations as general election nears realization

 

 

BANGKOK, 14th June 2018 (NNT) – The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has forwarded legislation concerning the origin of Members of Parliament (MPs) to the Prime Minister to seek royal approval, while the Deputy Prime Minister for legal affairs has called for a meeting with both the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) and Election Commission (EC). 

CDC Chairman Meechai Ruchuphan has expressed confidence the general election will take place according to the government’s roadmap and the Prime Minister’s proclamation of February next year, apart from any unexpected obstacles. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Kreau-ngam has requested the CDC send a representative to meet with him and the EC at Government House tomorrow. 

Meechai explained that the Constitution indicates that once all necessary legislation for a general election takes effect, the poll must take place within 150 days. Steps towards holding the vote include the division of polling zones by the EC and primary voting within parties to select candidates. The CDC head noted the 150 days does not include the time it will take to count votes with an extra 60 days from the conclusion of polling allotted for the counting of votes. He has nonetheless recommended the EC issue regulations on polling zones and other matters so that work can begin during the 90 day period, while the nation is waiting for legislation on MPs to take effect. 

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha meanwhile, says his administration is doing all it can to clear the way towards a general election but is also resolute in following all required steps. 

EC Chairman Supachai Somcharoen, explained today that the 5.8 billion baht allotted for the general election is actually the usual 3 billion baht for the process with added funding for provincial election auditors who must be paid travel, lodging and other expenses. Other costs include assistants for auditors, printing of ballots, campaign posters, data collection, protection of witnesses of election fraud and awards for whistle blowers. The funding is to come from the central budget rather than the expenditure budget.

 

-- nnt 2018-06-14

4 hours ago, webfact said:

More preparations as general election nears realization

Well, if you consider creation of hurdles and preventing laws as 'preparations' for an election...

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Meechai explained that the Constitution indicates

 

Meechai, now on his 4th "Constitution", seems to be the only one available to tell "the people", "the Junta" and "the courts" how things should work.

 

The lurch towards an "election" will likely be fraught with much peril. Hopefully, the Junta will allow all political parties to campaign BEFORE the election.

There is NOT going to be a free and fair election. How could anyone think otherwise, given the horrendous unfairness displayed on a daily basis by this junta?

 

Whatever 'legal' (i.e. fictionalised 'law' made up by the junta) route the Thai people follow re. the 'election' - all roads will lead to Junta-Land.

 

There is no 'legal' way out of this impasse. Thailand is an utterly lawless land and the only remedy lies in another (undesirable, but perhaps inevitable) direction ...

6 hours ago, webfact said:

officials concerned with the preparations for the national vote, from the government, the Election Commission (EC), |the Constitution Drafting Commission, and Council of State – which is the government’s legal adviser – would take part in the meeting.

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

the discussion at Government House would focus on obstacles that political parties are facing due to the Political Parties Act and the NCPO Order No 53/2017,

However,

6 hours ago, webfact said:

the participants are not decision-makers

Which obviously would be a prerequisite for the meeting.

Thus, the government has predicated an unproductive meeting and manipulated a certain stall in any final clarifications/commitments in the election process to suit its own purposes.

Just as we all thought, getting ready and preparing for another delay. This one is fraught with peril. How do other countries call for, prepare and have elections all within the space of three months??? Is Thailand so unique that it requires years??