Activists challenge EC to declare election date

A member of an anti-coup group calling itself the People Who Want Elections yesterday challenged the Election Commission to show some grit and fix a poll date. Aekarach Udom-amnuay submitted a letter of complaint at the poll agency yesterday. He said he wanted to see commission president Ittiporn Boonpracong in person to press him into setting an election date, but was turned away after being told by officials that the EC president was in a meeting. Mr Aekarach said he had been on hunger strike at the Victory Monument for three days prior to heading to the EC offices. He said the EC should pressure the government into issuing a royal decree calling for the election, adding that the EC, as an independent agency, should be “brave, straightforward and fear no one”. He also demanded that the commission clarify a constitutional provision which requires the EC to “complete’ the election within 150 days of the law on the election of MPs taking effect. A debate is raging over whether the term “complete” refers to “all ballots cast” or “all results announced”. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam previously said he expected the EC to set the election date by this month and for the poll to take place by March. But the EC has said it cannot set a date because the government has not issued the royal decree on the election, giving it the all clear to do so. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon yesterday downplayed a threat by the pro-election group to hold a demonstration at Democracy Monument this Saturday if a date has not been set by Friday. The activists are demanding that a general election take place no later than March 10 to avoid a possible violation of the 150-day deadline. Gen Prawit said the activists are only a small group and are not a cause for concern. “They pose no threat. They number about 100 people. They only have the intention of stirring up trouble,” he said.