New legal worries on poll
Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is concerned about the possibility of the Constitution Court nullifying the next general election, repeating its verdict on the April 2 poll, a source close to the Cabinet said yesterday.
The source said the decree for the new election, slated for October 15 but still awaiting royal approval, was discussed at yesterday's Cabinet meeting. Thaksin asked the secretary-general of the State Council's Office (SCO) if it was possible that losing candidates could appeal to the Constitution Court to annul the poll, claiming its timing breached a legal deadline. The Constitution states that a new poll must be held within 60 days of the House being dissolved. Thaksin dissolved the House on February 24. An SCO official said he believed such an appeal could occur, but that the government could defend itself, arguing that it had merely followed the Constitution Court's ruling, the source said.
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