PUBLISHED: 10 May 2024 at 05: 30
The Thai Journalists Association ( TJA ) warned in a seminar held yesterday that the lack of clarity in election regulations could lead to a delay in the election process, especially given that there are expected to be hundreds of thousands of candidates running in the upcoming weeks.
The 250-member Senate that was created by the now-defunct National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO ) is currently being prepared by various professional organizations to elect 200 senators.
The junta-installed senators ‘ five-year terms will actually expire tomorrow, but they will continue in office until the next senators ‘ election.
Applications for the Senate vote will be accepted from Monday, with votes at area, provincial, and national levels to be held on June 9, June 16, and June 26, both. On July 2, the benefits will be released.
According to the 2017 contract, the novel Senate did include 200 people and will not be directly elected by the public. The applicants may voting among themselves in three phases– district, provincial and national.
Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, a law professor at Thammasat University, criticized rules that forbid candidates from giving media interviews and for which merely allow candidates to introduce themselves through an A4 banner.
He claimed that this would entail more of their constitutional freedoms because there wo n’t be any clear rules that will lead to numerous complaints about election law violations.
” As a result, the EC does not be able to announce the results on day”, he said.
Separately, the Election Commission (EC ) stated that candidates for the Senate election who have social media accounts are not required to own or hold shares of internet businesses and therefore are not eligible to run the poll.
The EC made the announcement in response to queries on whether individuals who run their personal blogs, have Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and/or various social media accounts, are allowed to take part in the Senate election.
Section 14 ( 3 ) on the organic law on Senate elections prohibits owners of media companies, as well as shareholders in such companies, from running in the election.
The legislator selection process, which observers claim has flaws, is receiving widespread criticism for the notification.