"primary voting"

Abhisit Vejjajiva has won primary voting to retain leadership of the Democrat Party after being challenged by Warong Dechgitvigrom and Alongkorn Ponlaboot.

PRIME MINISTER Prayuth Chan-o-cha will need to invoke Article 44 of the Constitution to deal with the issue of primary voting, as the junta has been slow in lifting the ban on political activities.

The ruling junta will have the final say over whether to issue a special order to waive a legal requirement for political parties to hold primary voting to select their candidates ahead of the next general election, key junta figures said on Tuesday.

The joint law review committee resolved on Tuesday to amend two points in the political party draft bill following objections from the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC).

The joint committee reviewing the organic law on regulations of political parties had not settled on the revision of the controversial primary voting system but expected the bill could enter the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) this Thursday.

The Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) will affirm an amendment to the newly introduced primary voting system that proposes penalties for those involved in fraud.

National Legislative Assembly (NLA) whip Jet Siratharanont said on Monday that his office had received objections from the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) to the political party draft bill and would place them on the agenda for the assembly’s next meeting, to be held on Thursday or Friday this week.

THE CONSTITUTION Drafting Commission (CDC) has decided to retain a primary voting system in the political party bill but the draft will be revised to allow smaller parties a better chance |to contest elections.

The proposed primary voting system could violate the charter’s principles as it was designed to obstruct many parties from nominating MP candidates in constituencies, said Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday.

Most Thais admitted that they did not understand the primary voting system but expressed support for it in the hope that it would enhance people’s participation in politics, an opinion survey found.

The Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) and Election Commission (EC) held a special meeting to mull over the controversial primary vote system in the political parties organic law today while still divided on the matter.

THE PRIMARY voting system, despite its stated intention to eliminate financial influence over political parties, would quite to the contrary empower political powerhouses even further and reduce the chances for emerging, small-scale parties to take part in elections, according to politicians and academics.