The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) may finish vetting two organic bills pertaining to political parties and the Election Commission (EC) by the middle of next month, according to the assembly's deputy chairman, Peerasak Porjit.
Besides those two bills, another two involving the Senate and the MP elections are needed before the next general election can go ahead.
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The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) must draft the four bills within 240 days of the charter's promulgation and forward them to the NLA for scrutiny, the process to be completed in 60 days. The constitution came into effect on April 6.
However, CDC chairman Meechai Ruchupan said the first two bills will be handed to the NLA for scrutiny as soon as tomorrow.
Mr Peerasak said the NLA would deliberate the bills at a seminar on May 20-21 in Chanthaburi and it is possible its subcommittee would wrap up talks at this time because the NLA has studied them in advance.
He insisted the NLA has never thought about dragging out the process, saying the lawmakers are simply doing their jobs.
Speaking of the bill on political parties, Mr Meechai said party members would be emphasised more than the party's executives.
Under the bill, parties will face some toughened measures: for example, criminal charges would be brought against parties that receive money from graft offenders. Those involved with buying the ministerial posts risk capital punishment or life in prison, depending on the court's ruling.
According to Mr Meechai, under the bill, it would be more convenient for parties to receive financial support from state funds. In the past, parties had to draw up projects to seek funding, but this bill lays out a minimum requirement for the projects. They must have materialised for a year so they can receive financial assistance, he said.
Political parties, meanwhile, will have 150 days after the bill's promulgation to adjust themselves to the new legislation. This includes the process of selecting new party leaders and executives.
One issue which could affect parties is the mandatory collection of membership fees. The big parties which have a million members would face trouble getting that many members to pay up by the day the law takes effect. The CDC has come up with a transitional period in which these parties can collect fees from an initial 5,000 members first, followed by 10,000 members, he said.
Those who later fail to pay the fee would lose their membership status. In the initial period, the fee is set at 50 baht per member, he said.
Referring to the bill on the EC, Mr Meechai said tougher qualifications would be imposed on the seven members of the poll organising body.
Only one would have the power to stop or postpone the casting of ballots at polling stations when something suspicious is detected. This, he said, would allow the EC to be able to work more swiftly in line with circumstances.
After the law is put into force, provincial election committees will be scrapped and replaced with inspectors who are both local staff and those drawn from the central authority, he said.
The decision to scrap provincial election committees stems from criticism that they have been embedded in the local areas for long and affiliated with political parties.
"Some EC members are uncomfortable with the decision,'' Mr Meechai admitted. The decision would rest with the NLA.