EC unveils vote rules for new Senate
Dates to be declared after royal decree
The nation is gearing up to elect 200 senators to succeed the 250-member chamber appointed by the now-defunct National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
The regulations regarding the elections, signed by Itthiporn Boonpracong, chairman of the Election Commission (EC), were published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday.
The five-year term of the juntaappointed senators will expire on May 11, but they will carry on until the new Senate officially assumes office.
According to the 2017 charter, the new Senate will comprise 200 members.
They will be selected from 20 different professional groups, with 10 selected from each group.
There will also be a reserve list of five candidates in each group.
The elections will be held at the district, provincial and national levels in a process designed to keep political interference at bay.
Despite not being allowed to coelect a prime minister, like the NCPOappointed Senate, the new Senate will maintain the power to endorse appointments to independent public agencies.
According to EC regulations, provincial election directors must coordinate with provincial governors and district chiefs to set up local election committees at least 30 days before the Senate’s term expires.
The election dates for the three levels will be announced within five days after a royal decree on the election of senators takes effect.
The application process must start no less than 15 days after the decree takes effect.
After the application process closes, district-level elections will simultaneously be held nationwide within 20 days.
The provincial-level elections will simulatenously take place within seven days after the district-level elections, and the national-level elections must be held within 10 days of that.