Charter body to mull primary voting plan

The Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC) will discuss the controversial primary voting system this week to assess whether the system is practical.

CDC spokesman Chartchai Na Chiang Mai yesterday said the CDC has agreed in principle the primary voting system proposed by a National Legislative Assembly scrutiny committee will be necessary to strengthen political parties. But the problem is how to put it into practice.

The CDC will discuss the matter this week and gather input from the Election Commission (EC) and political parties.

The system has been made compulsory for the first time under the political party law passed on June 15 by the NLA, sparking criticism from parties that primaries hand too much power to party branches and representatives in deciding election candidates.

Under the NLA’s approved version of the bill, all parties are required to hold primaries in each constituency to select MP candidates prior to the general election.

The system will give party branches and members a say in choosing who their parties can nominate as election candidates.

Since the issue has proved contentious, the CDC will consider whether to set up a joint panel to review the primary vote proposal in the organic bill governing parties passed recently by the NLA. A joint panel will comprise five NLA members, five CDC members and the Election Commission (EC) chairman.

Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday wrote an open letter to the CDC, explaining the proposed primary voting system has its limitations.

He said parties must play a leading role in bringing together people who share similar views. In light of this, the new law on parties should provide for proper approaches to holding primaries to select poll candidates, he said.

However, Suriyasai Katasila, deputy dean of Rangsit University’s College of Social Innovation, throws his support behind the proposed primary voting system.

He said the system will allow the public to take ownership of parties, and make parties free from the influence of vested interests.

Some politicians oppose the system because they fear losing power, he said, adding primary voting should be flexible to give parties time to adjust.