Amendments must be made before election, says Meechai
Laws concerning the qualification of candidates contesting local elections must be amended before the general election can be held, chief charter drafter Meechai Ruchupan has said.
The government is discussing whether local elections will be held ahead of the national election and legal amendments have been raised.
Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam said he would discuss the matter with concerned parties, including the Constitution Drafting Commission, which is drafting the organic laws.
Meechai said the election cannot take place within one or two months as the related laws need to be amended first.
He said the Election Commission can still go ahead with its work in organising the elections in local areas.
Local elections are normally supervised by the EC, although under the new law there will no longer be provincial ECs.
Political parties, he said, could support their candidates, but it is up to the National Council for Peace and Order to decide when to lift the ban on political gatherings.