In a bid to counter charges of impropriety lodged against it in the Administrative Court, the Election Commission has requested two separate reviews of constitutional provisions relating to its mandate to manage elections.

In the first case, the EC has asked the court to rule whether the Central Administrative Court was legally able to issue an injunction against the third round of balloting in the disputed election.

It also questioned whether the court had erred in intervening in the electoral process, which it said was not an administrative dispute. This puts it at odds with the court.

The administrative order put a stop to any new rounds of voting until the court rules whether the EC has violated voters' privacy when it comes to the configuration of the ballot booths.

The court found cause to suspect foul play in the April 2 election, after the EC changed how the booths were laid out, allowing bystanders to see how people voted.

In the second case, the EC has appealed against the Administrative Court's ruling against the use of rubber stamps to mark ballots.

It said it was empowered by the Constitution and organic laws to rule on matters relating to the electoral process to use the stamps, which is outside the purview of the administrative court.

Constitution Court secretarygeneral Paiboon Warahapaitoon said his court would rule on the two cases after completing its inquiry into the validity of the April 2 election.

The court will on Wednesday begin a continuous session until it can reach a decision on the election's outcome, said Paiboon.

On Monday it ruled it would launch a judicial review and also set a threeday deadline for the EC to submit factual evidence on its management of the polls. That deadline expires on Wednesday.

Paiboon said he was optimistic the verdict would end the political crisis, but refused to predict how long a ruling would take.

The Nation