Thai charter draft: CDC plans measures to prevent nominee candidates

[webfact]

WRITING A NEW DRAFT
CDC plans measures to prevent nominee candidates
THE NATION

Academic warns MMA system, far from curbing vote buying will encourage more of it

BANGKOK: -- Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) chairman Meechai Ruchupan yesterday said the CDC was considering measures to prevent large parties from fielding nominees in constituencies where they did not have significant competitor parties, in order to win party-list votes.

"They cannot be sure if the electorate would vote for candidates of the nominee parties. How can they be assured that voters would vote for their nominee?" he asked.

The CDC has proposed the Mixed Members Apportionment (MMA) election system in which votes of losing constituency candidates would be calculated to determine party-list MPs. Some parties have reportedly said that they would attempt to increase their share of MPs by fielding nominee parties in an election.

"We have to prevent problems in advance because we cannot adopt an international election format, as we have to think in the context of our country, otherwise there will be no reform," he said.

Meechai said the CDC would first explain any ambiguity or confusion over the MMA system and would accept opinions from political parties for consideration.

He said the CDC had decided to fix the number of MPs in total at not more than 500 - but had not yet decided on the number of constituency MPs and party-list MPs.

The CDC has decided that measures to ensure a fair and clean election would be written into the charter's organic laws and not the main charter because future changes may take place.

He said he had not yet received responses from politicians and political parties over the MMA, but he would accept all proposals. "The CDC would clarify to anyone who does not understand any issue of the MMA," he said.

Dhurakij Pundit University's Faculty of Law dean Jade Donavanik said it would be difficult for large parties if nominee parties fielded constituency MPs to win the party-list votes. Voters would have to decide first whether they wanted the large or small parties to win.

He said the MMA might help solve nominee party problems to a certain level, as it made it more complicated for nominee parties to win (because they cast only one ballot). If the electorate voted on two ballot papers, it would be easier for them to win.

Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, academic from the National Institute of Development Administration, criticised the MMA system on his Facebook page. He said this new election system would cause problems in implementation and distort voters' intentions.

"This is because votes of winning constituency MPs are not used in calculating party-list votes," he said.

"The system also challenges the fairness of the election system since it mixes water and oil," he said.

The new system would not reduce vote buying - but in fact cause more vote-buying. "The 'one man, one vote' is proven to be rampant with vote buying," he said.

Sombat also pointed out that the results of party-list votes could not be counted if there were constituencies in which MP candidates were given red or yellow cards.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/CDC-plans-measures-to-prevent-nominee-candidates-30272209.html

-- The Nation 2015-11-04

[Srikcir]

"We have to prevent problems in advance because we cannot adopt an international election format, as we have to think in the context of our country"

Thailand is different from all other countries ... Thai people do not own their sovereignty and are not allowed self-determination. They must be guided into an electoral process that is flawed even before it's completely drafted. Historical context of the nation says that when Thai people begin to assert their sovereignty, the military asserts its independent sovereignty over the Thai people.

Simple to understand where the CDC is heading ... again - adherence to the NCPO agenda.

[Vandadavid]

"We have to prevent problems in advance because we cannot adopt an international election format, as we have to think in the context of our country"

Thailand is different from all other countries ... Thai people do not own their sovereignty and are not allowed self-determination. They must be guided into an electoral process that is flawed even before it's completely drafted. Historical context of the nation says that when Thai people begin to assert their sovereignty, the military asserts its independent sovereignty over the Thai people.

Simple to understand where the CDC is heading ... again - adherence to the NCPO agenda.

Correct tender son excellent summary

They are corrupt to the core and he is trying to swindle the votes

He will loose and come unstuck

[tbthailand]

"We have to prevent problems in advance because we cannot adopt an international election format, as we have to think in the context of our country"

Thailand is different from all other countries ... Thai people do not own their sovereignty and are not allowed self-determination. They must be guided into an electoral process that is flawed even before it's completely drafted. Historical context of the nation says that when Thai people begin to assert their sovereignty, the military asserts its independent sovereignty over the Thai people.

Simple to understand where the CDC is heading ... again - adherence to the NCPO agenda.

spot on.

there will be no democracy for the Thai people until they neuter the Generals.