Bangkok – The Election Commission (EC) has held a meeting on election campaigning via social media with its successors to ensure continuity of work, while the deputy prime minister for legal affairs has pointed out current EC members can continue as election inspectors.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Kreaungam has indicated the law allows for the current EC to set up polls across all 77 provinces and hand over the completed work to a new panel of commissioners. He noted his belief that the process would not be problematic.
EC Secretary-General Pol Col Jarungwit Phumma, stated that the EC office is ready for the new commissioners, who will be considering regulations for the election of Members of Parliament and Senators once they assume their roles. He said his panel is adjusting its draft review commission for greater efficiency, and making other preparations for the transition such as selecting election inspectors and putting them before public opinion. He added that the new EC will have full discretion to remove any inspectors it deems unfit.
On the Democrat Party’s concerns about campaigning via social media, the EC Secretary-General said a meeting with relevant agencies will take place on August 22 to discuss the parameters of social media use by candidates. A focus of the meeting will be the issue of mud-slinging via social networks.
Another meeting with party representatives on election expenses is also to take place.
