Somchai blasts PM’s legal team

Sacked election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn yesterday criticised the prime minister’s legal team for misleading the premier to understand that the regime and the cabinet alone would set a poll date.

Mr Somchai was apparently responding to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s decision to remove him from his post.

On Thursday Gen Prayut said Mr Somchai had “created confusion over the timing of the election”, which had led the public to question who had the authority — the government, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) or the Election Commission (EC) — to set an election date.

On his Facebook, Mr Somchai said the prime minister’s legal team was to blame for advising that the NCPO and the government had a say in the issue.

Citing Sections 102 and 103 of the constitution, he said the government should issue an executive decree calling an election and then the EC would respond by setting an election date.

“The EC must announce the poll date within five days of the executive decree,” he said, adding that the requirement is different from previous charters which empowered the government to announce the poll date.

He also went on to criticise the agency which recommended that he be removed from his post for causing confusion.

Gen Prayut was quoted as saying he was asked by a concerned agency to issue the Section 44 order.

According to Mr Somchai, the recommendation was made without giving proper consideration about consequences because the order involved a public independent agency.

He pointed out that future elections might not be accepted by the international community because the EC’s independence was compromised by such an order.

Political activist Veera Somkwamkid yesterday slammed the NCPO for the removal of Mr Somchai, saying the regime should not have stepped into the affairs of a public independent agency.

He also questioned the role of public independent agencies if the regime could override their autonomy so easily.

He said the regime was just paying lip service to reforms and ending corruption.