Bangkok, Jan 25 – Thailand’s Constitutional Court this afternoon ruled that the country’s general election scheduled to be held on Feb 2, can be postponed.
In a statement, the court also gave the responsibility to set the new election date to caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Election Commission chairman Supachai Somcharoen.
The election process was supposed to start this Sunday with early voting.
The latest development is considered a setback for Yingluck as she had insisted on having the election as scheduled despite months of protest demonstrations headed by Suthep Thaugsuban, the leader of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee.
The protest in the south, where support for the PDRC is strong, saw candidates unable to register for 28 constituencies and the Election Commission’s staff afraid to go to certain areas.
However, the latest development is not expected to end the demonstrations in the capital that have been going on for months, starting with a protest against an amnesty bill that has been scrapped, and then for election reforms and finally the resignation of Yingluck.
Before the verdict today, PDRC spokesman Akkanat Prompan said the group had no plans for a march to interrupt the early voting this Sunday, but it was the right of the people to oppose the election.
He said Suthep will led a march starting from 10am tomorrow to “invite” the people to join their protest to pressure Yingluck to resign as caretaker prime minister.
The march will start from Ratchaprasong intersection.
Akkanat said the emergency decree imposed in Bangkok and nearby provinces did not have any effect on the PDRC rally.
– Bernama
