Fifty-three political parties have joined a push for a fresh general election to be held as early as May.
The agreement was reached at a meeting at the Police Academy in Nakhon Pathom's Sam Phran district yesterday to discuss plans for the upcoming poll. The Democrat Party, which boycotted the nullified Feb 2 poll, did not join the meeting.
Speaking about the agreement, key Pheu Thai Party figure Pokin Polakul said the parties believed the new election must be held 45-60 days after the Constitutional Court's ruling to void the Feb 2 poll was promulgated in the Royal Gazette.
He said a proposal will be signed by the political parties before being forwarded to the Election Commission (EC) and other agencies concerned.
Mr Pokin said the EC will have to talk with the government to decide who is responsible for drafting the new royal decree.
Further discussions are also needed to determine who will be responsible for the financial losses incurred by candidates and political parties involved in the Feb 2 poll, he said.
Mr Pokin also said the EC must find ways to take firm action against those who obstructed the failed election.
The Feb 2 general election was deemed unconstitutional as it was not held on a single day, mainly due to anti-government protesters blocking candidate registration and besieging polling booths in several constituencies. Mr Pokin urged the EC to seek ways of preventing a repeat of the poll obstruction.
He said the election regulator should hold a meeting with the government and representatives of all political parties to discuss plans for the new election. The meeting should be held early next month, he suggested.
"What we are doing today is trying to avoid misunderstanding, and we want to ask the EC to work to prevent the poll from being invalidated again," Mr Pokin said.
Asked if the new poll could again prove problematic as the Democrat Party was notably absent from yesterday's meeting, Mr Pokin said he was unable to answer the issue, saying only that the parties which were present would try their best to move the democratic system forward.
Pheu Thai secretary-general Phumtham Wechayachai said the EC must quickly arrange to meet all concerned parties. If the agency fails to do so, it must take responsibility for the damage it could cause, he said.
"If the EC says it is not ready or wants to take some time [to hold the election], we must reconsider what should be done with the EC," Mr Phumtham said.
He stressed that political parties were concentrating on the election and brushed aside the idea of installing a "neutral" interim prime minister, as has been proposed by anti-government protesters.
Democrat Party secretary-general Juti Krairiksh said yesterday it was still to early for the party to decide whether it would contest the upcoming poll.
He said the political situation is still not calm and questions should be raised as to how government's opponents can be assured they will not be threatened during the election campaign.