Judges to hold secret ballot
New Supreme Court president Panya Thanomrawd said judges would hold a secret ballot on Friday to select five of their number to sit on the new Constitution Tribunal, which replaces the defunct Constitution Court.
According to Article 35 of the Interim Constitution, the Supreme Court president becomes tribunal president and the Supreme Administrative Court president his deputy. The tribunal's other members are assembled from those courts - five from the Supreme Court and two from the Supreme Administrative Court. The members of each court elect their representatives by secret ballot.Panya was unable to say if the new tribunal would hear cases of alleged April election fraud that could lead to the dissolution of major political parties. He was unsure if the tribunal would have jurisdiction. The Supreme Court would today draft directives on the qualifications judges require to sit on the Constitution Tribunal. A Supreme Court secretary said all judges could be elected - not only senior members. Judges would meet this week to discuss the selections. The Supreme Administrative Court has made no move to select that court's two representatives.
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