The National Legislative Assembly will vote on Thursday on a bill that could delay the general election by up to 120 days, a month longer than 90 days it planned earlier.
Last week, a panel vetting the MP election bill voted to extend by 90 days the effective date of the bill. This version will be tabled for a vote by the NLA on Thursday.
On Monday, one of the two minority panel members said they would exercise the right to put a 120-day extension as another option for the NLA to decide.
Taweesak Suthakavatia told Matichon Online he insisted on putting the "120-day extension" as another option, in addition to "no extension" and the "90-day delay" for the vote.
“Several of the laws passed by the NLA can't be implemented or enforced because related agencies do not have adequate time to prepare themselves. As a result, the NCPO [the National Council for Peace and Order] has to issue orders to extend them.
“It’s most likely the same for the MP election bill. If an extension is to be made, I think we should give adequate time so parties can properly prepare themselves. In my view, 120 days should be long enough and the NCPO [chief] need not exercise power to solve the problem,” he said, referring to NCPO chief Prayut Chan-o-cha’s absolute power under the 2014 interim charter and carried over to the 2017 constitution.
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In Mr Taweesak’s view, the extension should be six months but since no one proposed it, he settled on 120 days.
Mr Taweesak said he would debate before the vote on the necessities of the longer extension. “In the end, it’s up to the NLA to decide.”
Tanee Onla-iad, the other minority panel member, said he actually had 150 days in mind but since Mr Taweesak proposed 120 days, he got along with the idea.
He declined to give reasons, saying the panel had agreed to not allow members with no authority to speak to the press to give information.
The effective date of the bill, one of the four organic laws constitutionally required to take effect before polls can be held, is closely linked to when the general election can take place.
The charter requires the general election be completed 150 days after the four laws take effect. According to the roadmap, the NLA has until the end of June to pass the four laws and it was widely understood that the general election will take place 150 days from then, or late in November this year.
However, it was pointed out by government lawyers this month the day a law is passed or published in the Royal Gazette and the day it takes effect need not be the same. By delaying the effective date of one of the four laws, the general election can be put off accordingly.
If the NLA votes on the 120-day extension, the general election will take place in March next year.
