EC not allowing charter draft campaigns before referendum
The Election Commission yesterday said it would not approve campaigns on the charter draft in provinces ahead of a public referendum, citing peace and order.
Election commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn said the EC would not give approval to any agency, which seeks to stage meetings in the provinces to talk about the charter draft.
The EC would only hold a central platform that allows representatives of the opponents and supporters to debate on the draft.
“This would be more useful to the public because then it can better access the information,’’ he said.
Anyone holding a debate may be deemed violating the Public Referendum Act and the security law over the ban on political rallies, he said.
“We have to ensure peace and order under the country’s present circumstances. Some political groups may take advantage of the situation to benefit themselves,’’ he said.
EC specialist Thanit Sriprathet said the budget for holding the referendum is set at Bt2.9 billion and the EC would seek Budget Bureau approval for the funding next week.
Thanit said the EC took some time to come up with the total expenses for the referendum because it wanted to ensure accuracy and maximum benefits.
“We delayed not because of conflicts but we want to ensure there would not be any wasteful activity,’’ he said.
Thanit said the EC approved the proposal to opt for special procurement for state agencies to print charter draft copies. He said the special procurement is transparent and only state agencies would be hired.
Somchai said the National Legislative Assembly disapproved of using electronic voting machines in the referendum. The NLA however will allow election officials to help elderly and disabled people getting into polling booths.
