Thailand's EC keen on issuing new election decree

[webfact]

EC keen on issuing new election decree



BANGKOK, 3 April 2014 (NNT) – The Election Commission is adamant to issue a new royal decree for the general election at an earliest date possible, and it is convening a meeting with high-ranking military officers to discuss the maintaining of peace and order during the election.

EC secretary-general Puchong Nutrawong said that the EC would meet with military top brass on April 8th to discuss security matters during the new general election. And afterwards, the EC will convene a meeting with political party leaders on the possibility of the election.

According to the EC secretary-general, all the preparations for the election re-run should be finished within a 60-day period, adding that if political uncertainty worsened in the near future, the preparations could take up to 90-150 days.

He however asserted that election commissioners were keen to have a new election decree issued as soon as possible.

As for a complaint against Yaowapa Wongsawat that accused her of transporting people to vote for her in the Constituency 3 by-election in 2012, the EC voted to dismiss the complaint against Yaowapa, an older sister of PM Yingluck Shinawatra, due to lack of evidence.

-- NNT 2014-04-03

[Tatsujin]

As for a complaint against Yaowapa Wongsawat that accused her of transporting people to vote for her in the Constituency 3 by-election in 2012, the EC voted to dismiss the complaint against Yaowapa, an older sister of PM Yingluck Shinawatra, due to lack of evidence.

Hope the pro-Govt side will condemn this action also as being biased.

[Mango Bob]

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As for a complaint against Yaowapa Wongsawat that accused her of transporting people to vote for her in the Constituency 3 by-election in 2012, the EC voted to dismiss the complaint against Yaowapa, an older sister of PM Yingluck Shinawatra, due to lack of evidence.

Hope the pro-Govt side will condemn this action also as being biased.

Courts 10 Government 1 don't cry too much.

[Scamper]

This election is not happening, but it seems to be not happening at a fast rate ! The EC has already suggested an April 22 meeting with 73 political parties to discuss an election date. With " preparations " for just setting up an election timetable now ranging from 60 to 150 days ( the upper end of that would potentially result in a November election ) it is wildly improbable that it will happen. What is much more probable is that The Constitutional Court ruling this month on the Tawil transfer will likely tip the balance - as every court ruling on the case in the previous ten months has affirmed the unconstitutional nature of the transfer - the most recent ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court was in fact unanimous.

Edited April 3, 2014 by Scamper

[winstonc]

when is the 180 days up for the hero to return....god i love that guy..

[rubl]

"convening a meeting with high-ranking military officers to discuss the maintaining of peace and order during the election."

I guess like Ms. Yingluck the EC realises that depending on the police for this is like asking for troubles

[rickirs]

"He however asserted that election commissioners were keen to have a new election decree issued as soon as possible."

Looks like the EC has finally given up the idea that the Government must issue a royal decree to hold the elections and the EC is really capable of scheduling the election within 60 days after it told the Government that it couldn't. Looks like Yingluck scored on this one front.

[manstr23]

"He however asserted that election commissioners were keen to have a new election decree issued as soon as possible."

Looks like the EC has finally given up the idea that the Government must issue a royal decree to hold the elections and the EC is really capable of scheduling the election within 60 days after it told the Government that it couldn't. Looks like Yingluck scored on this one front.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. It could be 90 - 120 days. But by then, Khun Y. will not be around.

[manstr23]

"He however asserted that election commissioners were keen to have a new election decree issued as soon as possible."

Looks like the EC has finally given up the idea that the Government must issue a royal decree to hold the elections and the EC is really capable of scheduling the election within 60 days after it told the Government that it couldn't. Looks like Yingluck scored on this one front.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. It could be 90 - 120 days. But by then, Khun Y. will not be around.

Edited April 3, 2014 by manstr23

[rubl]

"He however asserted that election commissioners were keen to have a new election decree issued as soon as possible."

Looks like the EC has finally given up the idea that the Government must issue a royal decree to hold the elections and the EC is really capable of scheduling the election within 60 days after it told the Government that it couldn't. Looks like Yingluck scored on this one front.

I read it differently, more like as soon as 'someone' issues a Royal Decree on a new election the EC will really get started on setting up the elections. At the moment they are just making general preparations, clean up the paperwork and admin on the nullified on, talk about security, etc.

[Wombat6]

Before any election they should have a look and amend some of the Electoral Boundaries so that it fairly represents the the whole of the Thai population, At the moment only 48% of the population can elect a dispoportianate number of available seats

[ggold]

"He however asserted that election commissioners were keen to have a new election decree issued as soon as possible."

Looks like the EC has finally given up the idea that the Government must issue a royal decree to hold the elections and the EC is really capable of scheduling the election within 60 days after it told the Government that it couldn't. Looks like Yingluck scored on this one front.

I think the EC are only pursuing this to show neutrality! It seems pointless having an election if yingluk and ptp are banned from politics a few days after the election. Surely it would be better to get the court cases resolved first.

[Arkady]

"He however asserted that election commissioners were keen to have a new election decree issued as soon as possible."

Looks like the EC has finally given up the idea that the Government must issue a royal decree to hold the elections and the EC is really capable of scheduling the election within 60 days after it told the Government that it couldn't. Looks like Yingluck scored on this one front.

I read it differently, more like as soon as 'someone' issues a Royal Decree on a new election the EC will really get started on setting up the elections. At the moment they are just making general preparations, clean up the paperwork and admin on the nullified on, talk about security, etc.

What the EC seems to be saying is that within 5 months of royal decree they should be ready to hold an election, if conditions are arable by then. How a royal decree might be issued remains unclear. The Constitutional Court declined the EC's petition which asked the practical questions of whether a royal decree is needed and,if so,how is it possible to issue one. Pending such clarification the EC's position, we should assume, remains that a royal decree is needed and that they have no idea how one might be issued.

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[rubl]

"He however asserted that election commissioners were keen to have a new election decree issued as soon as possible."

Looks like the EC has finally given up the idea that the Government must issue a royal decree to hold the elections and the EC is really capable of scheduling the election within 60 days after it told the Government that it couldn't. Looks like Yingluck scored on this one front.

I read it differently, more like as soon as 'someone' issues a Royal Decree on a new election the EC will really get started on setting up the elections. At the moment they are just making general preparations, clean up the paperwork and admin on the nullified on, talk about security, etc.

What the EC seems to be saying is that within 5 months of royal decree they should be ready to hold an election, if conditions are arable by then. How a royal decree might be issued remains unclear. The Constitutional Court declined the EC's petition which asked the practical questions of whether a royal decree is needed and,if so,how is it possible to issue one. Pending such clarification the EC's position, we should assume, remains that a royal decree is needed and that they have no idea how one might be issued.

The Royal Decree about the House dissolution and calling new elections was issued by the Yingluck government. I understood that the CC ruled the caretaker government could issue a new Royal Decree to postpone the Feb2 elections. That 'might' suggest that the caretaker government can still issue Royal Decrees including one for new elections.

Not fully covered in the constitution and probably also not in the organic laws mentioned in the constitution I think.

[Arkady]

"He however asserted that election commissioners were keen to have a new election decree issued as soon as possible."

Looks like the EC has finally given up the idea that the Government must issue a royal decree to hold the elections and the EC is really capable of scheduling the election within 60 days after it told the Government that it couldn't. Looks like Yingluck scored on this one front.

I read it differently, more like as soon as 'someone' issues a Royal Decree on a new election the EC will really get started on setting up the elections. At the moment they are just making general preparations, clean up the paperwork and admin on the nullified on, talk about security, etc.

What the EC seems to be saying is that within 5 months of royal decree they should be ready to hold an election, if conditions are arable by then. How a royal decree might be issued remains unclear. The Constitutional Court declined the EC's petition which asked the practical questions of whether a royal decree is needed and,if so,how is it possible to issue one. Pending such clarification the EC's position, we should assume, remains that a royal decree is needed and that they have no idea how one might be issued.

The Royal Decree about the House dissolution and calling new elections was issued by the Yingluck government. I understood that the CC ruled the caretaker government could issue a new Royal Decree to postpone the Feb2 elections. That 'might' suggest that the caretaker government can still issue Royal Decrees including one for new elections.

Not fully covered in the constitution and probably also not in the organic laws mentioned in the constitution I think.

The CC ruled that the EC and the government could decide on a postponement of the 2 Feb election but didn't mention how this could be done or whether a new royal decree (requested how and by whom) was necessary. The ruling also left unclear the important detail of whether the CC meant that it would be a completely new election with a new round of candidate registration that the Dems could have joined in on, or whether it would have been a postponement of the 2 Feb election. The later ruling that voided the election seems to imply that it would have involved new candidate registration but we still don't know whether a new election at this point can be deemed as a continuation of the 2 Feb election (meaning that the Dems boycott doesn't count in the 2 consecutive strikes and you're dissolved stakes) coming from the Dec 2013 royal decree or would be a new election requiring its own royal decree. The judges like to confine themselves to the narrow questions of the petitions and, even then, may decline to respond to the petition.

I may be wrong but I think we will see these issues relating to royal decrees coming to the fore again in the not too distant future.

[rubl]

I read it differently, more like as soon as 'someone' issues a Royal Decree on a new election the EC will really get started on setting up the elections. At the moment they are just making general preparations, clean up the paperwork and admin on the nullified on, talk about security, etc.

What the EC seems to be saying is that within 5 months of royal decree they should be ready to hold an election, if conditions are arable by then. How a royal decree might be issued remains unclear. The Constitutional Court declined the EC's petition which asked the practical questions of whether a royal decree is needed and,if so,how is it possible to issue one. Pending such clarification the EC's position, we should assume, remains that a royal decree is needed and that they have no idea how one might be issued.

The Royal Decree about the House dissolution and calling new elections was issued by the Yingluck government. I understood that the CC ruled the caretaker government could issue a new Royal Decree to postpone the Feb2 elections. That 'might' suggest that the caretaker government can still issue Royal Decrees including one for new elections.

Not fully covered in the constitution and probably also not in the organic laws mentioned in the constitution I think.

The CC ruled that the EC and the government could decide on a postponement of the 2 Feb election but didn't mention how this could be done or whether a new royal decree (requested how and by whom) was necessary. The ruling also left unclear the important detail of whether the CC meant that it would be a completely new election with a new round of candidate registration that the Dems could have joined in on, or whether it would have been a postponement of the 2 Feb election. The later ruling that voided the election seems to imply that it would have involved new candidate registration but we still don't know whether a new election at this point can be deemed as a continuation of the 2 Feb election (meaning that the Dems boycott doesn't count in the 2 consecutive strikes and you're dissolved stakes) coming from the Dec 2013 royal decree or would be a new election requiring its own royal decree. The judges like to confine themselves to the narrow questions of the petitions and, even then, may decline to respond to the petition.

I may be wrong but I think we will see these issues relating to royal decrees coming to the fore again in the not too distant future.

On the 24th of January we had

"The Court also clarified that the government and the Election Commission (EC) have the joint authority to postpone the election, namely by issuing a Royal Decree."

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/699136-2-february-election-can-be-postponed-constitutional-court-rules-thailand/

The important words there seems to be the 'joint authority' which I assume means "both agreeing and issuing a Royal Decree together".

[ddavidovsky]

The EC first needs to acknowledge that the recent election was sabotaged by subversive forces and take steps both to promote prosecution of those responsible and ensure that this can never happen again. Until then, Thailand can never have anything like a proper democracy. Of course, right-wing/conservative/pro-corruption groups have come out and said explicitly that they don't want anything like a proper democracy, hence all the current prevaricatory blather. The plan now is to drag out this period of political vacuum as long as possible to allow the anti-democrats to undermine this elected government by slow attrition - it's death by a thousand cuts and rather sickening to watch.