Abhisit seeks stronger role for EC

Abhisit seeks stronger role for EC

The Election Commission should be required to set up special panels to decide individual voting fraud cases in order to minimise intervention by the government, says Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The former prime minister said he would propose the idea, along with several others, to the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) next week. He stressed that the proposals were his personal view and not necessarily that of his party.

"In my view, setting up an ad-hoc committee should help reduce intervention and intimidation by the government," he said on Saturday. "Instead of knowing who will decide a case in advance, the EC can name members to a panel shortly before deciding the case so its members would not be the targets of intimidation."

"Making all votes count is good," says Mr Abhisit. (Photo by Thiti Wannamontha )

He said a similar method was already used in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions. The high court selects the judges to decide each case and their names are not known in advance.

Mr Abhisit said that timely action by the EC to curb voting fraud was important.

"In any case, it should not delay the cases. Any decision should be made before an election or before endorsing the results in the event the offence is committed during or after the polls," he said.

The future role of the EC and the scope of its authority remains in doubt, however. The drafters of the charter that the National Reform Council rejected in September had favoured returning to a system in which the Interior Ministry oversaw elections. The EC would simply play a technical supporting role. It is not yet clear what the new CDC will propose.

However, Mr Abhisit said the new CDC had made a good start by proposing a revamped electoral system that would make every vote count and encourage more people to cast ballots.

The CDC last week said it was leaning toward a "mixed-member apportionment" voting system.

Unlike the previous system used under the 2007 charter, voters would be given only one ballot instead of two. The winner of a constituency will become its MP but the votes for non-winners will be added to the party-list count.

While Mr Abhisit did not say outright whether he supported the new system, he said the principle of making all votes count was good.

The Democrat leader also stressed that rights and liberties should be spelled out in the new charter. They should also not be any less than those stated in the 2007 constitution and the draft by the previous CDC led by Borwornsak Uwanno.

"The parliamentary system should straightforwardly reflect people's will. Most important are the mechanisms to check an elected government," he said.

"My proposal includes new ideas, as well as improvements and related mechanisms to support them."

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