Thailand's political activity allowed, but no vote-wooing campaigns as yet

Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-14 21:07:54|Editor: xuxin
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BANGKOK, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's ruling National Council for Peace and Order lifted some political restrictions on Friday so that political parties can resume political activity but are not as yet allowed to woo votes from the people.

In his capacity as head of the NCPO, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha waived some of the restrictions, earlier imposed by the NCPO, to the extent that the parties can run political activity such as recruiting party members, organizing party caucuses, setting up a committee in charge of selecting electoral candidates and naming a new party leader.

The NCPO chairman's order for the partial waiver of the political restrictions was promulgated in the Royal Gazette with immediate effect on Friday.

Nevertheless, no parties are as yet allowed to conduct electoral campaigns in the public or woo votes from constituents anywhere throughout the country. Remarkably, they are not allowed to do so via social media, according to the latest order of the NCPO chairman.

Prayut concluded in his order that electoral campaigns online might possibly jeopardize national security and public order for the time being.

The partial waiver of the political restrictions was primarily designed to give the parties a period of time to prepare themselves ahead of a general election, tentatively scheduled for February 24, 2019.

They will be allowed to launch an electoral campaign in bid to woo votes from the constituents after the organic law for the election of MPs, recently approved by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has passed a 90-days interval or until some time in December.

Meanwhile, the political parties may from now set up a 11-person committee in charge of picking electoral candidates nationwide. The panel will consist of four members of the party's executive board and seven representatives of provincial branches of the party.

Nevertheless, the Election Commission is yet to divide constituencies throughout the country for those electoral candidates who will contest on consituency basis in addition to those who will run on party-list basis.

The polling agency is obliged under the NCPO order to finish the dividing of the constituencies nationwide ahead of the promulgation of a royal decree for the election of MPs, which is expected in December.

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