Charter drafters finalize organic laws, paving way for polls

Thai administration’s political roadmap remained on course last week, as the Constitution Drafting Committee said it was finalizing an organic law governing political parties that would give them ample time to verify all members, paving the way for national elections expected to be held at the end of next year.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha insisted that the roadmap that would lead toward elections around the end of 2017 had not changed.

Voters approved a new constitution last August – a key marker on the roadmap – and the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) is now in the process of writing organic laws to cover the rules and procedures governing the political and electoral processes. The laws must then be passed by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and one of the most important bills was the law on political parties, which was sent to the NLA last week.

CDC spokesman Udom Rathamarit said its draft law governing the workings of the Election Commission was also nearing completion and would soon be sent to the NLA for passage.