NLA ‘likely to pass’ last 2 bills to pave way for poll

The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) is unlikely to shoot down two organic bills on the election of MPs and the selection of senators that must be passed in order for the general election to be held either later this year or early in 2019, an NLA whip says.

The assembly is also seeking to close a legal loophole in the organic bill on the Senate to prevent people with ties to politicians from becoming senators.

The NLA needs to be sure that a first chamber of 250 appointed senators serving a five-year term during a transitional post-election period as stipulated by the constitution will be free of “stooges” affiliated with political parties.

This is because the first 250 who are appointed will play a crucial role in choosing an “outsider” prime minister. They will also oversee the implementation of the regime’s reform strategy, putting pressure on the NLA to keep politicians and their associates at bay.

NLA whip Somchai Sawangkarn said yesterday a joint panel comprising 11 representatives of the NLA, the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) and the Election Commission (EC) are thrashing out their differences over the two bills after they were passed by the NLA.

NLA whip spokesman Jate Siratharanon said they are expected to be taken to the NLA for deliberation on March 8.

The bills pave the way for the next election. If they are dropped, the election will be delayed further. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said late last year the poll would take place this November but now pundits are saying February at the earliest.

The three-month delay stems from a government decision last month to hold off on implementing the bill, which has invited more criticism of the regime.

Mr Somchai said the joint panel has not managed to fix many of the contentious points in the two bills.

When they are returned to the NLA in revised form, it will be up to the assembly to decide whether to approve them. Voting down the bills will require the backing of at least two-thirds of lawmakers, he said.

But there is scant chance the NLA will vote them down, he said, predicting “99% of lawmakers” would vote in their favour despite some contentious issues in the Senate bill.

After the NLA passed the bills last month, they were sent to the CDC and EC to study. Both bodies disagreed with some of the changes the NLA made to the content.

The CDC and EC also see the MP election bill as problematic in several areas, namely: that entertainment shows can be staged during poll campaigns; the rights of enfranchised people who fail to vote in an election; extending the poll deadline to next February; and volunteers who assist disabled voters cast their ballots.

The problem with t he bill on t he selection of senators lies with the NLA changing the method of selection, from professional and social groups voting on candidates across groups to voting within the groups only.

The joint panel is now trying to fine-tune any content they cannot agree on.

The NLA rewrote a significant portion of the Senate bill and this formed the core basis of the legislation.

If the CDC insists on its original draft and sends this back to the NLA, it could end up being sunk by the assembly, he said.

Mr Somchai said the NLA changed the way senators would be selected from the method proposed by the CDC. It did this by reducing the number of groups of candidates from 20 to 10 social and professional groups, he said. The Senate selection process will be held at the district, provincial and national levels.

The NLA has also decided against crossvoting and opted instead for voting within the social and professional grou2ps.

Mr Somchai said the NLA believed the selection method proposed by the CDC created a loophole that parties could exploit to push nepotistic candidate appointments.

He said less money would be spent on hiring people at each level than on fielding candidates in past Senate elections. Parties with deep pockets would be at an advantage, he added.

Mr Somchai said the first 250 senators will play a crucial role in choosing a prime minister and overseeing national reform. Without a clear guarantee, all reform efforts would go to waste and the NLA could not afford to let this happen, he said.

“But I believe the chance [of the bill being voted down] is as little as just 0.01%,” he said.

Five NLA members who sit on the joint panel stand by the change while CDC representatives disagree with it.

The EC chairman has also informed the panel there no violations of the constitution. As such, Mr Somchai said the NLA would likely approve the change by a majority.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha assured listeners yesterday the two organic bills would not be voted down.

Political observers expressed concern that if the NLA did this, the CDC could draft new ones and further delay the poll.

A provisional clause in the charter calls for a first chamber of 250 senators to serve a five-year term after the poll.