EC to seek court ruling on poll re-run in Thai oppn stronghold

Thailand's Election Commission today said it would seek the Constitution Court's ruling on whether the government must seek a new royal decree for a poll re-run in the opposition stronghold in the south where voting could not be held during the disputed February 2 snap polls.
Election Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn said the ruling was required after the embattled premier Yingluck Shinawatra's government insisted that it could not enact a new decree to set a new election date for 28 constituencies in eight southern provinces where voting could not be held.
Anti-government protesters, backed by the main opposition Democrat Party, had locked polling stations in the southern provinces - their stronghold. They also disrupted advance polling in Bangkok on January 26.

The Election Commission (EC) has asked the government to issue a new decree to set a new election date because the 28 constituencies have no candidates due to blockade of candidacy registration by protesters.
Somchai, the EC member in charge of election management, said caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Pongthep Thepkanchana yesterday forwarded the Council of State's opinion on the matter to the cabinet.
The council's opinion is that a new royal decree is not necessary because the old one is still in effect. The council also said that the EC is duty-bound to complete the election as required by the law.

Earlier, the EC asked the court to rule whether the election date could be delayed. The court ruled that the poll could be delayed but the EC and the government must work out when the new date should be set, The Nation reported.
EC secretary-general Puchong Nutrawong said he had drafted a letter of request for a Constitution Court ruling which will be submitted to an EC meeting tomorrow for endorsement.