BANGKOK, 26 December 2014 – The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) has agreed to maintain the Election Committee (EC) with changes in its authoritative limits, and enables the National Anti-Corruption Commission to directly submit corruption cases to the court, said a spokesman.
The CDC’s spokesman Gen Lertrat Rattanawanit has said that the committee has agreed to maintain the Election Committee with the newly subjected role to control and establish a corruption free election process.
The EC will have the power to call for a new elections should corruption cases be detected, while the new term for the EC will be reduced from 7 years to 6 years.
However, instead of the EC, the election process will be held by government agencies such as the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of Education as these agencies are equipped with more staff.
Meanwhile, the EC will only be able to give the ‘yellow card’ warning to the politician, while the ‘red card’ candidacy revocation will be considered by the new ‘election court’, which will allow the accused to appeal.
The EC will have to announce the election result, with the opening of the sitting scheduled within 30 days after the announcement of the election, and have no less than 85 percent of the House of Representatives members in order to proceed to the selection process of the Prime Minister, the President, and the Vice President of the National Assembly.
The CDC has also agreed to retain the National Anti-Corruption Commission with its member not belonging to any political party, or having resigned from any party for over five years. The NACC’s term will be 6-9 years.
The NACC will have to submit the case through the Attorney-General for prosecution. But should the Attorney-General take to long to review the case, the NACC will be able to submit the case directly to the court.
In the meantime, the CDC has not yet to concluded the limitation period for the corruption cases, but it is likely that there will be no limits of limitation period to convicts who are in asylum abroad.
