Royal decree set to be submitted by PM
The government is counting down to a House dissolution after the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday announced the electoral boundaries of the 400 constituencies.
Asked whether a House dissolution will likely take place on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has not discussed the matter with him yet.
“But it [a House dissolution] should not take place later than that day. A House dissolution can take place even today,” Mr Wissanu said.
The House of Representatives’ four-year tenure will end next Thursday.
However, he said the cabinet will proceed with its weekly meeting on Tuesday as the prime minister will still be able to work.
Asked about a royal decree on the House dissolution, Mr Wissanu said it will be drawn up, and the prime minister will submit it for royal endorsement by His Majesty the King. The decree may take effect either on the day it is published in the Royal Gazette or a day after its publication, he said.
He added that the prime minister could submit the decree for royal endorsement without the need to seek cabinet approval.
However, the draft of the decree will have to be sent to him for a check first, said Mr Wissanu, who is the government’s legal expert.
Mr Wissanu admitted that a House dissolution has yet to take place because the PM has had to wait for the EC to finish drawing the constituency boundaries first.
The EC on Thursday announced the boundaries of 400 constituencies, with Bangkok having the highest number at 33, followed by 16 constituencies in Nakhon Ratchasima, 10 each in Chiang Mai and Nakhon Si Thammarat while five provinces, such as Trat and Ranong, have only one each.
The EC has already forwarded the boundary information to the cabinet’s secretariat for publication in the Royal Gazette, according to an EC source.
Based on the new constituency boundaries, Bangkok and 26 provinces in the Central Plains Region will have a total of 122 MPs, while 14 provinces in the South will have 60 MPs, the source said. Sixteen provinces in the North will have 37 MPs, provinces in the Northeast will have the largest number of MPs at 133, while the eastern region will have 29 MPs, and the western region will have 19 MPs, the source said.