Democrats to petition court over junta’s use of absolute power
THE DEMOCRAT Party yesterday decided to file a petition in the Constitutional Court against Order No 53/2560 issued by the junta head, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, which has amended the political party law to extend the period for political parties to attend to administrative work.
Democrat legal team leader Wirat Kalayasiri said the party would ask the court to see if the order was in violation of the charter. He said that in the party’s view, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) could not use absolute power under Article 44 for this purpose, as the use of the power must be for reform or reconciliatory benefits, or for national security.
The order was signed by the Prayut with the NCPO’s acknowledgement.
Wirat said since the new Constitution was already in effect, Article 44, as provided in the interim charter, should be toned down, or at the least it should not contradict the charter.
The order requires party members to confirm their membership status within 30 days, a condition deemed to restrict people’s rights or add a burden on them which was not in keeping with the charter’s Article 26, Wirat said. The party would file the petition next Monday, he added.