EC begins accepting NRC nominations

EC begins accepting NRC nominations

The Election Commission (EC) will start accepting nominations for candidates of the National Reform Council (NRC) on Thursday.

The one-month process to Sept 2 is expected to attract names from 3,000 organisations, said EC secretary general Puchong Nutrawong.

According to the July 31, 2014 royal decree, non-profit organisations can submit up to two nominees each.

Non-profit organisations refer to state agencies, state enterprises, public organisations, juristic persons in the forms of associations, foundations and councils, educational institutes, state hospitals, as well as political parties, etc.

They can submit the names to the EC or send by mail. More details are posted at its website.

The nominees will be vetted by 15 agencies simultaneously every day and made public.

Anyone who believes any of them is unqualified can inform the EC but he needs to give his full name. The EC will keep the information confidential, Mr Puchong said.

Asked whether the NRC members will have to declare their assets to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Mr Puchong said if the members of the National Legislative Council had to declare assets, so would the NRC members.

Two types of screening panels will be set up to shortlist NRC candidates.

The first type comprises 11 seven-member committees, one for each area to be reformed, all appointed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

The 11 areas to be reformed are: politics, public administration, laws and judicial process, local administration, education, economy, energy, public health and environment, mass media, social affairs and others.

The 11 committees will each shortlist up to 50 candidates to be proposed by non-profit organisations, which will begin sending names on Thursday.

The other type is the provincial screening committees, one for each of the 76 provinces and Bangkok.

The 76 provincial selection committees comprises the governor, chief judge of the provincial court, chairman of the provincial administration organisation, representatives of the community organisation councils at the provincial level and chairman of the provincial election commission.

For Bangkok, the selection committee consists of the president of the Council of University Presidents of Thailand, chief justice of the Civil Court, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration permanent secretary and chairman of the Bangkok election commission.

The provincial and Bangkok screening committees will each choose five candidates who are local people in their respective areas.

The NCPO will then pick one NRC member for each of the provincial and Bangkok lists and any number it sees fit from the reform-area lists but not more than 250 total.

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