Election may be held 19 months after constitution is activated

IT COULD take up to 19 months after the new constitution takes affect before the next general election will be held, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday.
He said the “roadmap” to the next election would start counting when the new charter was promulgated.
The draft constitution approved by the majority of voters in the referendum last August was submitted for royal endorsement in early November, and His Majesty the King has 90 days, or until early next month, to decide whether to endorse it. 
Wissanu said that after the new constitution took effect, the 10 organic laws required under the new charter would have to be completed within 240 days. 
The Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) has started drafting the four organic laws required for holding the next election – the ones on political parties, the Election Commission, the election of MPs and appointment of senators.
Wissanu said that the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) would then have to complete deliberations of the 10 organic laws within two months. If the assembly wants to make revisions to the original drafts, another month would be required for a debate on the matter between the NLA and the CDC, he added.
After the organic laws pass the NLA, 90 more days will be required for royal endorsement before they could be enacted, according to Wissanu. 
“After the new laws are promulgated, we will enter the election mode. The next election must be held within five months after that,” he told reporters at Government House.
He said that originally the next election was expected to be held within this year, on the assumption that the constitutional draft would get royal endorsement shortly after it was submitted in November last year.
However, the original schedules were affected and postponements ensued after the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October, Wissanu said.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, meanwhile, said the feeling of the general public following King Bhumibol’s departure must be taken into account in starting an election process that would involve a lot of political activities including campaigning.
“We have to care about the feelings of people. This involves the great loss for the country,” the prime minister said in his weekly national address broadcast last night.
He said both the government and the National Council for Peace and Order had no intention of delaying the next election.
“The legislative process is still within the roadmap’s framework, which I think is acceptable to everyone. The government and the NCPO have no reason or intention to cause any delay,” Prayut said.
“I believe that most people understand the situation well. I just want to ask for cooperation from the minority. With common understanding, we will move forward towards full democracy,” he added.
Separately, the prime minister said representatives of many countries that he had met had showed a good understanding of the political roadmap for the next election.
“The election process will take some time, starting with campaigning and voting, and leading to the formation of a new government. This will certainly happen when the time comes. I have never made any postponement [announcement],” Prayut told reporters during his visit to observe the flood situation in Narathiwat.