Opposition slams proposal to delay vote
The opposition yesterday gave the cold shoulder to the Election Commission's suggestion that the April 2 election could be postponed, saying a delay would not solve the political crisis.
However, leading government figures expressed support for the idea. On Wednesday, EC chairman Vasana Puemlarp said the agency was considering putting off the polls. His remark followed the disqualification of more than one-third of the candidates, leaving more than half the constituencies in 71 provinces with just one candidate. Jurin Laksanavisit, deputy Democrat Party leader, said after a meeting of opposition coalition representatives at the party's headquarters yesterday that putting off the election would not solve the political crisis, the "root cause" of which was Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Changing the date of the election would be no guarantee of a free and fair poll, he said. Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva echoed Jurin's remarks, saying the major concern over the election was with its credibility. Satit Wongnongtoey, a Democrat Party executive member, said that by postponing the election, the EC would be giving Thaksin more time in office. Public discontent with the prime minister would only grow as a result, he said. Chaturon Chaisang, deputy Thai Rak Thai leader and the caretaker education minister, expressed support for a delay in the election, which he said would allow more qualified people to take part after 320 of the 941 registered candidates were disqualified. He said that with qualified candidates facing little or no contest in most constituencies, the results of the vote would not be acceptable to the public. TRT deputy leader Sudarat Keyuraphan said the ruling party would not protest if the EC postponed the election. "We are well prepared. We even proposed a postponement before the candidate registration period closed," she said. Election commissioner Virachai Naewboonnien said yesterday the April 2 polls should go ahead. If any problem arose after the election, such as all 500 House seats not being filled, it would be the duty of the administration to take care of it, he said. "The election result will indicate what should be done next for the government, the opposition and the People's Alliance for Democracy," he said. The alliance is staging the anti-Thaksin rally outside Government House.
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