THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Concerns raised over possible delay to election

Concerns raised over possible delay to election

National Legislative Assembly (NLA) vice president Surachai Liengboonlertchai has “expressed his concern” that, if the MP election bill is referred to the Constitutional Court, it may delay the election.

His expression echoed that of the NLA president, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, who put forward a similar view on Tuesday. However, no reason was given for this belief.
The NLA has affirmed the two bills regarding the election of MPs and selection of senators, which were amended by the joint law review committee last week. However, the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) holds the view that some contents of the affirmed bills are still contentious.
Its chief, Meechai Ruchupan, plans to propose that the NLA revisit the contents of the bills and, if possible, petition the Constitutional Court for a ruling, because he feared that the bills might cause a new political conflict in the future.
Surachai said the NLA has not yet taken the issue into consideration, as it has to wait for the CDC to submit its proposal first. He said the legal intepretation by the court would affect the election road map, without elaborating why.
The government’s legal advisor, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, said any legal interpretation and ruling by the court would delay promulgation of the bills to some extent, but he believed that this would not affect the road map as feared.
He said a problem might arise if the laws were in use – which is also Meechai’s concern.
The NLA will hold a meeting to consider the issue on Thursday.

RELATED
nationthailand