EC member surrenders his fate to NLA
Whether current EC members could be dismissed or spared after the constitution promulgation depends on what addressed in the new constitution as well as the organic law being vetted by the National Legislative Assembly, said Election Commission (EC) member Somchai Srisuthiyakorn on Thursday.
The constitution that passed in a referendum last year requires that the EC to be made up of seven members while the current commission has only five.
The commission has to add at least two members to fill the vacancies, while there is also a possibility that some of the current members might be disqualified by the constitution’s new requirements.
After meeting with the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), Somchai said on Thursday that the EC could still function without a full complement of members.
However, the commission might be unable to make some decisions if regulations required a specific vote or quorum, he said.
Somchai said the NLA, which will vet the organic law, will decide whether the current members will be disqualified.
He said the new qualifications not only affected the EC but all independent bodies, especially the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Constitutional Court.
The EC was actually relatively unaffected compared to the other two bodies, he said.
Somchai said the NLA would consider the pros and cons regarding the matter.