Election Day : Oct 29 or 22?
The Election Commission will decide soon whether to shift the date for the new election back a week to October 29, as suggested by the government, EC secretarygeneral Ekachai Warunprapha said on Monday.
The EC initially proposed October 22 for the new poll, but the government rejected the date as it coincides with the end of Ramadan, which would inconven¬ience Muslim voters, Ekachai said. "Before finalising its decision, the EC may invite political parties for consultation on the date," he said. Judges have questioned whether the EC should be select¬ing the date for a new election when major opposition parties refuse to meet with the commission to dis¬cuss the matter because of grave concerns about its impartiality. Chat Thai Party leader Banharn Silapaarcha said the EC was mov¬ing too slow. "The EC should have finalised its decision days ago after it learned that October 22 was unacceptable," he said. The commissioners should work in a timely manner or else resign, he said, adding that its three incumbent members had lost the trust of the public. The Nation
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