Political observers are expecting local elections to take place in May of next year after general elections are held in February.
The speculation is based on scrutiny of draft laws govering local elections and recommendations on a loose timetable provided by the Election Commission (EC).
One of the six legislation drafts on the local election is now up for a public hearing by the EC and is expected to be submitted to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) for a debate in July.
The assembly has 60 days to examine the draft law and if it is passed it will be submitted for royal endorsement, a process that can take up to 90 days. The draft law is likely to be published in the Royal Gazette and take effect in December.
However, based on the EC's suggestion that local elections and the general election should be at least three months apart, local polls are likely to open in May of next year.
Bangkok, Pattaya and provincial administrative organisations (PAO) are expected to be the first to see local contests while elections at tambon administrative organisations (TAO) and municipalities will have to wait until constituencies are redrawn.
According to political observers, much of the draft law governing local elections, which has 141 sections, is similar to the 2002 version of the law but with some new elements.
Among the new elements is a requirement for election candidates to submit expense documents to the provincial election directors within 90 days. Candidates are also barred from staging entertainment activities.
The Department of Local Administration director-general Suttipong Julcharoen said people can visit his department's website, the EC, or the Council of State to submit their opinions towards the draft laws related to local elections before the agencies meet on June 27.
However, laws on the establishment of municipalities, tambon administrative organisations, and provincial administrative organisations have yet to be completed for Pattaya city and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, he said.
Mr Suttipong said he agrees with allowing 30 days of public hearings for each law as required by the constitution.
