'Door closed' on EC bid to change organic law, says Jate

By The Nation 

 

Jate

 

BANGKOK: -- The Election Commission (EC) does not have the right to bring the case against the passage of the organic law regulating its agency to the Constitutional Court, said the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) whip spokesman Jate Siratharanont Thursday.

According to the Constitution, only the NLA or the Prime Minister can petition the Constitutional Court after the NLA has resolved twice to pass the draft bill, Jate said.

 

The EC, or any other independent organisation, does not have the authority to take action at this stage, he said.

 

“And it is not likely that 10 per cent of the NLA members would sign up to petition the Constitutional Court because they are the ones who approved the bill,” Jate said. “That door is just closed.”

 

The NLA last month passed the EC organic law, which replaces the current commissioners with a new batch. It was passed again on Thursday after the agency raised objections on six points including its dismissal, leading to a two-week review by a joint committee.

 

Since the passage last month, the agency said constantly that it would seek legal channels to turn around what it described as an unfair law, including petitioning the Constitutional Court.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30320721

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-07-14

EC to decide next week on petitioning Constitutional Court over EC draft bill

By The Nation 

 

Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said the EC would make a decision next week on petitioning the Constitutional Court after the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday approved the EC draft bill it had passed earlier.

 

Somchai said a decision should be made at the EC meeting next Tuesday.

 

The EC had, on Thursday, expressed its objections about the draft bill before the NLA, arguing against the reconstitution of the EC. The EC’s objections had earlier led to the setting up of a joint law review committee, which backed the bill version endorsed last month by the NLA.

 

The bill is the first of four organic laws required for the coming election under the new charter.

 

The NLA on Thursday morning approved the bill after the review committee rejected the EC’s appeal for changes.

The next legal option before the EC is to approach the Constitutional Court.

 

Assembly whip Jate Siratharanont said on Thursday, after the NLA had voted to approve the EC bill, that the election agency had no authority to take the issue to the court. He said such a petition would require the support of one-tenth of NLA members under the new charter.

 

Jate said this was impossible because the NLA had voted overwhelmingly to endorse the bill.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30320730

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-07-14