EC fights back to retain powers

EC fights back to retain powers

A representative of the Election Commission (EC) on Friday handed out open letters to powerful bodies in the country, objecting to moves by charter drafter to radically limit its authority over elections.

Suranee Polthawee, director of the EC secretariat, began with sending a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha with the Government House complaints centre at the adjacent Office of the Civil Service Commission.

Then she filed letters with the National Council for Peace and Order, the National Legislative Assembly, the National Reform Council and the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC).

Ms Suranee said the letters were the EC's response to the CDC's initiative to set up an election organising committee (EOC) to organise elections in place of the Election Commission.

She said that the EC viewed the initiative as contradicting international practice and compromising election efficiency.

The EC also disagreed with the CDC's plan to have a court disqualify candidates for poll fraud, instead of the EC. Such court rulings would take time and a cheating winning candidate could still take a seat in the meantime and abuse the position to influence witnesses, Ms Suranee said.

The EC also opposes curtailing its responsibility to educate people about democracy and political participation.

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