The government insisted Thursday that a general election will definitely be held next year, regardless of the results of a planned referendum on the draft charter.
If the drafting of the organic laws is completed by July next year, the election will be held the same month, said Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, adding that, if not, the election would be held no later than December of the same year.
However, he said it is possible the election may be held ahead of schedule.
Asked what the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) plans to do in the event that protests erupt over the results of the new election, Gen Prawit said he didn't expect that to happen and, even if it did, measures prepared to deal with political unrest will be included in the charter's provisions.
"No matter how the election results turn out, all sides have to respect the rules," he said.
- Earlier report: Constitution referendum set for July 31
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"The charter specifies the rules and we shall hold the election as promised."
In response to media reports quoting Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam as saying that campaigning to encourage members of the public to vote down the draft charter is allowed, Gen Prawit said he understood that what Mr Wissanu actually meant was that opinions on any parts of the draft charter found to be unacceptable are welcome, but he did not signal for people to move against the draft charter.
"This is still within the period in which the charter drafters are receiving public opinions and feedback on the draft. Anyone who wants to have his or her opinions heard can still provide them for consideration in revising the draft," Gen Prawit said.
When asked who would take responsibility for the more than 3.4 billion-baht budget set aside for funding the referendum if the draft is rejected, he said the referendum is compulsory as stated in the interim charter and would have to be held anyway.
Asked if he was suggesting that the public then vote for the draft so as not to waste the state budget, Gen Prawit said he was not saying so, but he only wants those who will vote in the referendum to carefully study the draft before making any decisions.
However, when asked which previous charter would be adopted to make the promised election happen if the draft charter is rejected in the referendum, Gen Prawit replied that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has prepared a contingency plan for such a scenario.
Gen Prayut only responded briefly to reporters when asked to confirm Mr Wissanu's comment on Wednesday that the referendum was likely to be held on July 31, saying he had yet to receive any report on the matter and only learned about it from media reports.
Mr Wissanu said if the draft charter is rejected in the referendum, it will be necessary to hold a formal discussion to find out ways in resolving the political impasse.
One option is to draft a new charter by incorporating sections from various old charters into one, he said, adding that votes from the referendum should be taken as an indicator as to how much the public agrees or disagrees with the draft charter.
Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) chairman Meechai Ruchupan agreed with Mr Wissanu that the referendum should be held July 31, or at most two to three weeks before or after that date.
He also responded to escalating criticism against the draft charter, saying critics should go through the draft in detail before rushing to judgement.
