Prayut sets poll date for Feb 24

Parties keep faith despite serial delays

The general election has been tentatively set for Feb 24, marking the latest poll pledge by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha after a series of delays.

Gen Prayut gave the same date the Election Commission had predicted, adding it would not occur any sooner.

“If we can do it, we’ll do it in February,” Gen Prayut said. “If we can’t, then we’ll discuss the matter again.”

He was speaking after a mobile cabinet meeting yesterday in southern province of Chumphon.

The government will “unlock” some issues and start talks with political parties next month, Gen Prayut said, without elaborating.

It is the first time the prime minister has given a precise date for the poll. However, he said previously it would be held early next year while other government sources gave next May as a possible date.

The regime maintains its long-held ban on political parties engaging in political activities.

Despite the lack of certainty so far, political parties have expressed confidence that Gen Prayut will keep to his word this time.

Chusak Sirinil, head of Pheu Thai’s legal team, said it was a credible date.

As soon as the organic bill on the election of MPs receives royal approval and is enacted, everything should be ready for the poll to be held before May, Mr Chusak said.

Addressing the government’s plan to partially lift the political ban next month, he urged it to press ahead with this as soon as possible so that parties could resume their activities and begin electioneering.

However there should be no disturbances or unrest that would create headaches for the regime if the ban is lifted, Mr Chusak said.

The Bhumjaithai Party’s deputy secretary-general, Supachai Jaisamut, said Gen Prayut’s latest remark gave cause for hope that the election roadmap would be respected.

If the poll takes place in February as now planned, it would be reasonable to ease the political restrictions in September so that political parties have enough time to prepare, Mr Supachai said.

Some issues require further clarification, such as whether the primary vote, where members of political parties choose their respective MP candidates, will be suspended in the next election, Mr Supachai said, adding the regime should clear up any confusion.

“The parties need to know what activities are permitted. Recruiting members and holding party meetings are necessary. But it is up to the regime to decide. It must give clarity,” he said.

Asked if he believed Gen Prayut’s latest pledge, Mr Supachai said: “Yes, I do. The prime minister is a no-nonsense man. We believe that what he said to people in the South confirmed he will stick to the roadmap.”

Deputy Democrat Party leader Nipit Intarasombat said he was giving the premier the benefit of the doubt but cautioned that it would be wise to prepare for “something unexpected” — a reference to previous delays.

‘’Whenever we try to speculate on whether the prime minister will stick to his word [regarding the date of the poll], we’re invariably proved wrong. Something unexpected always crops up,” Mr Nipit said.

He also called for the ban on political activities to be eased or lifted so parties could proceed with meetings, membership recruitment and the selection of executives.

Varawut Silpa-archa, a Chartthaipattana key figure, said parties should be given at least 90 days to prepare for the poll after the ban is axed.

The regime has decided to continue its confusing, piecemeal attitude towards elections and free speech. The latest declarations on a general election emphasise shortcomings all across government and the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). By law, setting an election date is the exclusive duty of the Election Commission. When the EC did just that, the regime immediately stepped in, first to accept it, then to negate it and finally to mark it out as an open-ended and conditional option.

To recap, here is a summary of the pertinent activities of a busy four days. On Saturday, the deputy secretary-general of the Election Commission, Natt Laosisavakul, presented a detailed timeline to the media that culminated in a general election for both a House of Representatives and Senate on Feb 24. On Sunday, the chief spokesman for the NCPO, Maj Gen Piyapong Klinpan, said the timeline of planned events and a nationwide election on Feb 24 were fine. “There is no reason to postpone it,” he said. On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam indicated a Feb 24 election was unlikely.

More interestingly, NCPO chief Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said Feb 24 is accepted as the poll date “for now”. But if the election cannot be held, then there will be further discussion to review the date, he said, without elaborating on what conditions could derail the poll.

A vital point of information is that the constitution, written under intense regime supervision, grants exclusive right to set an election date to the EC. Neither the government nor any non-government body has a say.

The procedures explained by Mr Natt for a Feb 24 election match precisely and step by step those enshrined in the constitution. They begin with a Royal proclamation published in the Royal Gazette and culminate in voting. Legally, if the EC sets Feb 24 as national election day, only cataclysmic and outside events can stop it. And even in that event, only the EC has legal authority to reschedule it.

Of course, the sad fact is that there is one lingering and overriding authority. That is the power of Section 44, a hangover from the outdated and legally discarded interim, coup-driven constitution of 2014-2017. Section 44 can dictate, mandate or override any decision by anybody until a new government has been elected and sworn in. That, too, is a constitutional power, even though it is in direct conflict with the powers of the EC.

Similarly, the EC timeline to an election addressed a second problem. Since the coup, the regime has imposed a ban on political gatherings, speeches, campaigns, organising, fundraising and even simply meeting and talking. Gen Prayut, who personally holds all the Section 44 power, has chosen to keep these tight bans in place, even while he openly continues to hold upcountry rallies with every appearance of a political event. This means political parties cannot hold activities to prepare for the poll.

Yesterday, he said the ban will be “partially” lifted next month to enable the EC to prepare for the poll. This is unacceptable. It leaves room for the possibility that the NCPO will continue to deny political parties and the public the right to conduct basic political protocol, including holding large gatherings, in the lead up to the poll.

Section 44 legally enables the regime to deny the inalienable rights of Thais to vote, speak, rally and petition their government. Just because it is legal does not mean it is right.

While Gen Prayut promised in writing to hold elections in 2018, the public is willing to accept another delay until February, however unnecessary. It is cruel to set a date one day, then rephrase it as an open-ended possibility with conditions attached the next. The poll date set by the EC must be regarded as final. The premier should not keep things hanging in the balance.

The premier should not keep things hanging in the balance.