Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has assured the demarcation of constituency boundaries will be finalised before the organic bill on the election of MPs comes into effect on Dec 12.
Mr Wissanu on Thursday dismissed rumours that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) would lobby the Election Commission (EC) to delay the demarcation process in a bid to postpone the election slated for Feb 24 next year.
He said NCPO Order No 53/60 stipulates that the demarcation process must be finished before the bill on the election of MPs takes effect, so parties will have enough time to conduct primary voting. The parties need to know with certainty where the constituencies lie before they can organise the primary voting to select MP candidates to stand in the poll.
However, Mr Wissanu said on Thursday that if parties cannot finish primary voting before the bill takes effect, primary voting can still take place after the enactment of the law.
In fact, primary voting can be held until applications for MP candidates are open, he said.
After the law on the election of MPs takes effect on Dec 12, the EC must draw up a royal decree on the election and forward it to the cabinet for consideration. The cabinet will then submit the draft for royal endorsement.
When the decree is royally endorsed and takes effect, the EC will announce the election date within five days. Applications for MP candidates must open within 25 days of the election date decree.
Mr Wissanu also warned parties not to allow others to control its affairs, as this is an offence which could lead to party dissolution. He was responding to a report that Pheu Thai Party members would fly to meet ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Singapore this weekend.
When asked about parties which have set up "sister parties" and about possible collusion to capture votes in the election, Mr Wissanu said such a practice is not forbidden by law.
EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong said on Wednesday the EC has finished the demarcation of constituencies and the results would be published in the Royal Gazette in a few days.
The redrawing of constituency boundaries was expected to be completed early this month to give parties at least 30 days to conduct primary voting, before the organic bill on the election of MPs comes into effect.
The bill is the last of 10 organic laws to be enacted due to a 90-day waiting period imposed by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA).
The bill was royally endorsed and published in the Royal Gazette in September.
The waiting period was intended to give the EC time to work on the redrawing of the constituencies and primary voting, which has to be arranged by the individual political parties contesting in the next poll.
However, a delay in the completion of the demarcation earlier this month sparked concerns that the tentative election date set for Feb 24 could be postponed.
Mr Ittiporn insisted this was not a cause for concern.
After the organic law is enacted, the EC will hold talks with the cabinet, the National Legislative Assembly and the NCPO to discuss officially declaring the poll date, he said.
Under the new system, some constituencies are expected to be larger than in the previous poll, as there are only 350 constituency seats up for grabs, down from 375 in previous elections.
With about 66.18 million eligible voters, the population-to-MP ratio is 189,110 people per MP.
A total of 23 provinces, including Bangkok, will see their number of MPs reduced.