Regional News
Constitution Court to Rule on the Legality of Thailand’s Feb 2 General Election
BANGKOK – The Constitution Court will rule on the legality of Thailand’s Feb 2 general election within this week, reports Thai News Agency (TNA).
Election Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn made the assessment in his facebook account on Monday, saying that Bangkok’s Constitution Court is expected to rule on the case by Friday.
Somchai revealed that Chairman of the Thailand Election Commission (EC) Supachai Somcharoen and an ombudsman will testify before the court on Wednesday on the legality of the Feb 2 general election and he expects the court to announce its ruling on the validity of the national poll either on Wednesday or on Friday.
“If the Constitution Court then decides to annul the February 2 election and call another, this election date could be set for several months down the line–enough time for an anti-Thaksin Shinawatra caretaker government to modify the constitution and for the Democrats to prepare to contest the new elections since they boycotted the last one,” said Paul Chambers, director of research at the Institute of Southeast Asian Affairs at Chiang Mai University.
The Democrats have lost the last five elections to allies of Thaksin.
In another development, Somchai noted that the EC will file a case on March 24 5with the Court of Appeal seeking the court’s ruling to disqualify Bangkok Governor M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra on a charge of violating the local election law and if the court received the EC complaint, the incumbent Bangkok governor must suspend his duties right away.
Somchai also foresaw that the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) should announce its ruling on a key corruption case late this month.