Thailand approves October polls

May 31st, 2006 by admin

Thailand approves October polls by Boonradom Chitradon
Tue May 30, 10:40 AM ET

Thailand’s cabinet approved October 15 as the date for new elections and the main opposition party agreed to stand, raising hopes of an end to months of political crisis in the kingdom.

Three weeks ago the Constitutional Court annulled polls in April that were called hurriedly by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bid to silence vociferous opposition to his premiership.

“The cabinet approved the October 15 date proposed by the Election Commission as a new election date,” Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-Ngam told journalists.

“It’s the cabinet’s authority to issue a new royal decree and there are 90 days to enable candidates to change party,” Wissanu said.

Under Thailand’s election law, if candidates want to run in polls, they must be members of political parties for at least 90 days before filing for their candidacy.

If they want to change political parties for the October 15 elections, they must therefore apply for new party membership by June 8 at the latest.

Last week, Thaksin, 56, staged a political comeback, formally returning to office after stepping aside in early April in the wake of mass street protests demanding his resignation over alleged corruption and abuse of power.

The premier has come under increasing pressure to quit since January, when public anger erupted over his family’s 1.9-billion-dollar tax-free sale of its stock in Shin Corp., the telecom giant he founded before entering office.

His announcement to step aside came two days after April 2 snap polls boycotted by the main opposition parties that led to the parliament being closed due to the failure to fill enough lower house seats.

The biggest opposition Democrat party welcomed confirmation of the new election date and said it would stand against Thaksin’s ruling Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) this time around.

“We are ready to run in the new polls,” said party spokesman Ongart Klampaiboon.

Thailand’s business leaders who have been jittery over an economic slump due to the political turmoil took heart from the cabinet’s agreement.

“Today’s decision is the first step to help solve the political deadlock and make Thai politics more stable,” said Pornsilp Patcharintanakul, deputy secretary-general of the Board of Trade, a major business group.

The Constitutional Court on May 8 declared the April elections invalid, saying the campaigning period was too short and polling booths were improperly organized. The court also ordered the government to hold new elections.

The Election Commission had initially proposed October 22 as a new date for the elections, but Thailand’s three most powerful courts rejected the proposal, demanding the commission resign because it had lost legitimacy.

The Democrat party spokesman maintained Tuesday that the Election Commission should resign to take responsibility for the troubled April 2 snap polls.

The government had also declared the October 22 option as inappropriate because it coincided with the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.