Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has stressed again that the roadmap for holding the general election expected later this year will not be delayed.
Gen Prayut responded to comments by National Legislative Assembly (NLA) deputy chairman Surachai Liangboonlertchai that the assembly may not finish deliberating the 10 organic laws within the 240-day timeframe, and this could push the election back to the middle of next year.
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon offered assurances the government will keep to the original roadmap and timeframe for holding the election as originally promised by the prime minister. He went on to add that Mr Surachai’s comments on the election possibly being delayed until the middle of next year are only an assumption.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam also maintained the roadmap for holding the election this year remains unchanged.
Mr Wissanu said the NLA should put in extra effort to clear the backlog of legislative bills pending deliberation so this would not delay the roadmap for holding the election.
Army chief Chalermchai Sittisat, who is also the secretary-general of the National Council for Peace and Order, said on Wednesday the opinion offered by Mr Surachai was only his personal view, and that it did not represent the collective opinion of the NLA.
Peerasak Porjit, another NLA deputy chairman, added the NLA had no intention of delaying the election.
So it would appear the government are united in their view that the election will take place as planned. 2017 could well be a pivotal year in Thailand politics and it will be interesting to see if the lessons from the past have really been learned.
(Source: Bangkok Post)