The Thai Rak Thai Party is pushing to open the Parliament to amend an article in the Constitution that would pave the way for the three top courts to pass political reforms and redraft the charter from scratch, spokesman Sita Divari said yesterday.

Sita said His Majesty the King had asked the Supreme, Constitution and Administrative courts to end the political crisis but his party believed the courts should also be responsible for passing political reform and amending the Constitution.

"We believe that a body should be created to handle political reform and constitutional amendments. Politicians should not be involved because they will probably write laws for their own benefit,'' Sita said.

He said if the House was convened, his party would propose amendments to Article 313 of the Constitution, which stipulated MPs should amend the Constitution while the public is allowed to scrutinise the process.

Another party spokesman Chatuporn Prompan defended the government's decision to set the election date 37 days after the House dissolution, claiming in 1983 Prem Tinsulanonda, the then prime minister, gave just 30 days' notice for an election.

He accused Senator Kaewsun Atibodhi of distorting the issue with a comment that at least 45 days should have been given.

Chatuporn said if the court ruled against the Electoral Commission (EC) regarding the controversial layout of polling stations, which allegedly allowed voters to be observed as they marked their ballot papers, many election victories would be invalidated.

He defended the EC saying the layout of the booths was intended to prevent canvassers from using mobile phones to take photos

of ballot papers, as had been claimed.

Another party spokesman Ekkaporn Rakkwamsuk called on the People's Alliance for Democracy to stop its campaign against outgoing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's return to power.

"This has become a politicised judgement, although all political parties agreed to abide by the courts' decision following the King's address,'' he said.