The jailed Election Commissioners should reimburse Bt2 billion to the state - the cost of organising the last national poll, following their conviction on Tuesday for mismanaging the April election, a Democrat executive said yesterday.

"The three commissioners, Vasana Puemlarp, Prinya Nakchudtree and Virachai Naewboonnien, are accountable for their unfair supervision of the electoral process," Piraphan Saleeratvipak said.

Under the 1996 State Officials' Liabilities Act, people indicted for malfeasance and abuse of office had to pay the costs or damages incurred by the state because of their conduct, he said.

He called on caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the relevant agencies, including the Comptroller General's Department, to recover the funds spent on the botched election.

He also said Thaksin should launch an investigation to identify any accomplices who had helped the EC Three mismanage the electoral process, making it clear he thought the three commissioners had not acted only on their own.

Mahachon Party leader Sanan Kachornprasart suggested provincial judges manage the polls in lieu of local electoral authorities.

"Provincial courts should replace electoral committees in order to ensure free and fair voting," he said.

Sanan hoped for another round of political reforms after the October 15 poll. He said the next government should rewrite the Constitution within a year, then schedule a fresh general elections.

He said he wanted to see a number of constitutional amendments, including:

lan easier way to censure a prime minister;

lcancellation of the 90-day rule for electoral candidates (before they are eligible to join another political party);

land greater public participation in legislative work and the impeachment process.