Political parties agree on quick general election

BANGKOK, April 22 (TNA) - Dozens of political parties have unanimously agreed that the Election Commission of Thailand (EC) should organize the next general election as quickly as possible. The agreement was announced on Tuesday afternoon, following a meeting between 56 political parties and the EC, held in Bangkok earlier in the day and chaired by EC Chairman Somchai Somcharoen. The political parties, including the ruling Pheu Thai Party, also urged the EC to assure that it would successfully organize the next general election, opining that the election agency's should organize the next general election earlier than July 20, 2014 it earlier proposed. Two wellknown political parties, including the Democrat Party and the Love Thailand Party, were among those did not participate in the meeting, which was not allowed by the EC for its live broadcast through the government-run National Broadcasting Television (NBT) and Modernine TV of MCOT Public Company Limited (MCOT) as earlier planned by the caretaker administration. Meanwhile, Caretaker Justice Minister Chaikasem Nitisiri told journalists before the Cabinet's weekly meeting on Tuesday morning that the government's Center for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) cannot file a lawsuit against the EC if the election agency fails to organize the next election soon. Chaikasem suggested, however, that the EC should organize the next election as soon as possible to contain national damage. The caretaker justice minister's remarks responded to reports that the CAPO plans to file a complaint about dereliction of duty against the EC if it fails to organize the next polling soon. The caretaker justice minister also aired his opinion that if the EC had tried its best to organize the past election, the national poll in February 2014 would not have been nullified and national problems would have been solved. (TNA)