Thailand's top lawmaker expects election to be held next Feb at earliest

BANGKOK, March 29 (TNA) - Borwornsak Uwanno, chairman of Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), expects that a general election could be held in Thailand between next February or March at the earliest. Borwornsak told participants attending a seminar held at a Bangkok hotel on Sunday that charter drafters in the past had to present opinions expressed by the general public, members of National Reform Council (NRC) and the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to CDC meetings before details on the new constitution which is being written now could be made. The first draft constitution will be sent to NRC within this April 17 for its members’ consideration from April 20 to 26, he said. After a proposal for an amendment for the new charter is made, CDC members will have 60 days, starting from May 26 to July 23 in considering the proposal. On the last seven days of this period, CDC will have to forward the amended charter to the Office of the Council of State for the final scrutiny, said Mr. Borwornsak. The draft constitution will then be sent to NRC on July 23 for its approval which has to be made within August 6. A general election could be held in either late February or early March next year if a public referendum is unnecessary or next June if it has to be conducted. The worst scenario is that if the NRC rejects the draft charter, all the NRC and CDC members will have to stop their work. A new process will have to start again, Mr. Borwornsak said. He reiterated that preparations for the ongoing draft constitution are not aimed at allowing the junta which had seized power in the country last May 22 to continue holding power. If the draft charter is rejected and new members of NRC have to be appointed, Thailand would have to “start counting one again”, he added. (TNA)