Pheu Thai awaits decision on emergency before naming by-poll candidate

Wicharn Meechainant, Pheu Thai's chief election campaigner in Bangkok, said the Election Commission (EC) should first clarify if candidates are allowed to campaign under the state of emergency. Otherwise, Pheu Thai might boycott the elections, he said.

The MP said red-shirt leader Natthawut Saikua was the most eligible candidate and if it weren't for the emergency decree he would have been released on bail. Natthawut is currently under detention on terrorism charges at Bangkok Remand Prison.

Apart from Natthawut, the party has other choices among famous personalities, who are not yet ready to come out in the open.

Candidates must be registered by July 2 for the elections to be held on July 25.

EC member Sodsri Satayathum said the commission had asked the Centre for Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) to clarify by Friday as to what is permitted under the state of emergency.

Sodsri said Natthawut was not banned from running in an election because he had not yet been found guilty. However, he is not a Bangkok native and his qualifications related to the time he spent at school in the capital is still under question and being considered by the constituency's election director. She added that those who do not agree with the director's decision could take the case to court.

"I think there is no need to lift the emergency decree entirely. Partial lifting or temporary exception might be enough. If the situation has not returned to normal, the state of emergency might continue in other Bangkok constituencies. It is up to the government and the CRES to decided whether or not emergency should be lifted in Constituency 6. The EC cannot influence this decision," she said.

The Democrat Party, meanwhile, will name its candidate this afternoon. The potential candidates are Panich Vikitsreth, assistant to the foreign minister, and Putthipong Punnakan, assistant to the PM's Office minister. Sources said Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban was backing Chitpas Bhirombhakdi for the post.

In a separate development, a dozen Pheu Thai MPs from the North and the Northeast called for changes in the party's executive structure. Nakhon Phanom MP Paichit Sriworakhan said an MP should be leading the party.