BANGKOK, Jan 17 (TNA) – March 24 is the best date to hold
the election, says Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam on
Thursday as the kingdom awaits a decision by the Election Commission (EC).
Wissanu, who is in charge of legal affairs, made the comment
on Thursday saying after considering constitutional requirements and other
prerequisites March 24 would be the best choice.
If held on that date, the EC would be able to announce
official election results on May 9 which was within the legal timeframe, he
said.
However, the EC had the authority to set the date and he
expected a Royal Decree would be issued and the EC to announce the date next
week.
After tentatively set on February 24, the election has been
postponed because electoral process would overlap with the Royal Coronation
ceremony in early May.
The government and the EC have faced mounting pressure and
criticism for the delay. An activist
group submitted a letter on Thursday demanding the EC to finalize its decision
by Friday.
In an economic seminar, President of University of Thai
Chamber of Commerce Sauwanee Thairungroj said the next election would be
crucial for Thailand, allowing the country to moving forward.
She estimated over Bt80 billion to be injected into the
economy during the election campaign and the country’s GDP to grow at least 4
percent this year.
Thai Retailers’ Association Worawut Unjai said foreign trade
partners had closely monitored Thailand political development to consider trade
and investment in the kingdom.(TNA)
