'EC should have power to assess CDA nominees'
Play
The Election Commission should have the power to disqualify candidates for the Constitution Drafting Assembly to foil any fraud attempts, a EC member said yesterday.
“If the EC has no mandate to issue red and yellow cards, then there’s no way to guarantee fairness in the CDA election,” Prapun Naigowit said.
Lawmakers have been debating the format to elect 77 CDA members by direct vote, while the other 22 seats will be filled by academics and professionals picked by Parliament.
Parliament has yet to decide which of the two existing polling laws – one for local administrations and the other for Parliament – to be adopted for the CDA balloting.
Prapun said the EC had no preference but he was concerned about speculation that Parliament might cut out provisions on disqualification to streamline the CDA’s establishment.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said his main opposition party would support the application of the rules for electing senators to the CDA election.
The 77 elected CDA representatives should be non-partisan and the rules for electing senators would ensure that, he said.
For the 22 appointed drafters, the charter amendment bill should allow academic institutions to nominate scholars and professionals instead of allowing the Parliament president to screen them, he said.
Each MP and senator should vote on only five or six candidates instead of the full slate of 22 to prevent any political party from dominating the CDA, he said.
When the charter rewrite is completed, it should be vetted by Parliament on its constitutionality and not by its president alone, he said.
The charter draft should be debated in Parliament before the holding of the referendum on it, he said.
Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said his ruling party would continue to allow a free debate on the charter amendment bill when Parliament resumes the second reading tomorrow.
“Pheu Thai will not try to block the discussion although the Democrat Party is trying to delay the passage of the bill,” he said.
The six days devoted to debating the bill last week is proof that the coalition is not rushing the legislation as alleged by the Democrats, he added.
