FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Political parties, EC, CDC to decide on poll date: PM

Political parties, EC, CDC to decide on poll date: PM

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha will call a meeting of relevant parties to discuss and decide an appropriate and acceptable date for the next general election.

In his weekly national address on television on Friday, Prayut said that after all the four necessary organic laws for the next election were published in the Royal Gazette, his Cabinet would inform the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to invite political parties, the Constitution Drafting Commission and the Election Commission to discuss the matter.
“The election date depends on the readiness and agreement of parties involved. It’s an important national agenda. We may have to commit it as a mutual contract on how we will move the country forward in accordance with the road map,” the premier said.
The public has witnessed in recent times delays in the passing of laws, their enforcement and legal procedures that have raised doubts over the timing of the next election. Prayut, however, insisted that his government and the NCPO had never interferred with or given instructions to legislators to vote down any bill, which could result in postponement of the election.
Last year, Prayut had committed to holding the next election in November this year but the schedule was delayed to early next year after the National Legislative Assembly last month passed the organic bill on MP election that contains a clause to delay for 90 days the coming into effect of the bill after it was published in the Royal Gazette. According to the 2017 charter, an election must be held within 150 days after the bill takes effect. 
Prayut also urged the public and politicians to help keep stability in the country and not to trigger conflicts or divisions in society.
“You [public and politicians] must promise that after the next election, we will have the government and opposition joining forces to benefit the people as well as pushing national reform,” he said.

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