THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

NLA rejects EC's proposal on public referendum

NLA rejects EC's proposal on public referendum

The rejection of the Election Commission (EC)'s proposed regulations on public referendum will not delay the plebiscite on July 31, EC member Somchai Srisuthiyakorn said yesterday.

He said the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) had rejected the draft on grounds of clarity, adding that the EC had two months to revise the regulations. 
Somchai went on to explain that the EC had four options in dealing with the clarity issue, adding that if the criteria and voting methods for a public referendum in the interim charter were not clear, then the government should ask the drafters of this charter to explain the regulations. 
He said it was necessary for the drafters to clarify whether they wanted a majority of eligible voters or the majority of the ballots cast to determine the win. 
If the government does not wish to amend the interim charter on this point, then it should seek a Constitutional Court ruling, he said, adding that the government could ask the NLA to amend the interim charter to clarify this point.
If the government does nothing to deal with this ambiguity, it could result in negative consequences, as voters will wonder about the results of them exercising their vote. 
Somchai said he believes the NLA should not have rejected the EC's proposal, and instead rewritten it because drafting regulations was the assembly's job. 
The EC will meet on February 9 to discuss its next move. 
Somchai went on to say that Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam had told the EC earlier that he would discuss the issue, but had not set a date yet. 
Separately, the EC rejected former EC secretary-general Puchong Nutrawong's appeal against his dismissal and is suing him for libel instead.
EC specialist Thanit Sriprathet said the commission had its legal division file a complaint at Thung Song Hong police station on Monday accusing Puchong of defamation. Puchong's contract was terminated after he allegedly failed an annual performance evaluation and frequently delayed the completion of his work.
Puchong then turned to the media, saying he had been dismissed due to a conflict of interest over the printing of the previous draft charter. He also called on anti-corruption bodies to check the printing process for the sake of transparency. 
The EC, meanwhile, is seeking applications for Puchong's replacement. Applicants are expected to be politically neutral, honest, between the age of 45 and 65, experienced in management and have achievements. 
Those who qualify include the deputy director-generals of state agencies, deputy governors and deputy secretary-general who have been at the post for no less than two years. 
Those from the private sectors must show evidence that they have managed companies earning a revenue of more than Bt2 billion a year. 
Those ineligible include political party members, party founders or those who have held positions in political parties over the past five years. Applications will be accepted from February 8. 
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