His Majesty the King wants to see the next election to be clean and fair and want the country to live at peace as soon as possible, Government Spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee said Friday.

Surapong said His Majesty states the wish by writing down a note on the royal decree to set the election day, which His Majesty signed on Thursday.

It was the first time that His Majesty wrote down a note on such a royal decree.

The decree was announced by the Cabinet Secretariat Friday and was published in the Royal Gazette on the same day.

Rongphol Charoenphanthu, acting Cabinet secretary-general, said the decree will take effect on August 24 to set October 15 as the election date.

Commenting on the issuance of the royal decree, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said it was now time for all sides to try to reach reconciliation.

Thaksin said he would also invite the international PollWatch body to observe the October 15 election.

The prime minister said he hoped the Supreme Court would nominate candidates for the Senate to select two more Election Commission members so that the EC would have full bench before the election day.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said his party would definitely contest the October 15 election but his party still called on the three EC commissioners to resign.

Chat Thai Party deputy leader Somsak Prissananthakul said his party would contest the October 15 election but he wanted to have a new EC to hold the election.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the People's Network for Election (Pnet) Friday called on the Criminal Court to remove the three Election Commissioners by convicting them in malfeasance and sending them to jail.

Saiyudh Kerdphol said the people do not trust the current EC to hold the next election so the Criminal Court should take drastic action against the three commissioners so that Supreme Court could nominate new EC candidates.

The commissioners are facing malfeasance charges related to the April 2 election.

They will automatically lose their status if they are jailed even one day.

The Nation