NLA to submit last two bills to PM

ROYAL APPROVAL WOULD SET ELECTION CLOCK TICKING

>> National Legislative Assembly (NLA) president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai has said the NLA is preparing to submit the two organic bills on electing MPs and selecting senators to the Prime Minister this Wednesday so he can present them for royal endorsement.

These bills, which were passed by the NLA on Thursday, are the last two organic laws required by the constitution before an election can be held.

While royal endorsement can take up to 90 days, critics are also fretting about further possible delays if someone elects to challenge the bills’ legality.

Mr Pornpetch yesterday denied reports that the NLA whip on March 6 agreed to petition the Constitutional Court to rule whether the content in the passed laws was against the constitution.

He said the whip had not discussed such ideas and there had been no such resolution.

Moreover, no NLA member has come out and said he or she intends to ask the Constitutional Court to consider the bills.

Though it is the right of NLA members to do so, involving the Court requires the signatures of at least 25 of the assembly to start the process.

If no NLA member proposed such a petition by Tuesday, Mr Pornpetch said he would submit the bills to the PM.

The revised versions of the bills were passed by the NLA after the tripartite committee comprising members of the NLA, the Election Commission (EC) and the Constitution Drafting Committee — who drafted the original version — came to agreement over the final details.

The EC had said last week it was satisfied with the content of the bills.

The next step is to submit the two bills for royal endorsement, which can take up to 90 days.

According to the charter, an election must be held within 150 days of the organic law on MP elections coming into effect.

However, the NLA in January voted for the the law to become effective 90 days after its announcement in the Royal Gazette instead of right away.

The elections therefore could be delayed from November, as announced by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, to February.

In a separate movement, former Constitutional Court judge Supoj Khaimook said yesterday he was disappointed with the court’s ruling on Friday that said the provision in the law on the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) giving exceptions for current members, whose qualifications do not match with the new requirements, was not against the charter.

He said the provision could become loophole which might be used to skirt around the requirements for joining independent organisations in the future.