Bill-vetting panel’s election-delaying move denied
Fears of a delay in the promised election have risen following a report that the committee vetting a draft bill on the election of MPs wants to stay its enforcement until 90 days after promulgation.
Taweesak Sukawatin, spokesman for the committee, dismissed the report on Thursday.
The 2017 charter says the next general election must take place within 150 days of four organic laws being promulgated – laws on the Election Commission, political parties, MP elections, and the structure of the Senate.
If enforcement of the MP bill is delayed 90 days, the election would then have to take place within 240 days of its enforcement.
The delay would prevent the election being held in November as junta leaders have promised.
The Isra News Agency reported that the committee, meeting in secret on Tuesday, had agreed to amend Article 2 of the bill, which stipulates when enforcement of the law begins.
The article says enforcement commences one day after the law is published in the Royal Gazette, but the committee’s amendment pushes enforcement back to 90 days after promulgation, the agency said.
Taweesak insisted the committee didn’t even discuss the matter, and reiterated that the current draft bill would be enforced one day after publication in the Royal Gazette.
He said the committee would meet tomorrow (January 19) to finalise the draft and then submit it to the National Legislative Assembly for further deliberation and second and third readings next week.