Thai EC proceeds with preparations for Feb 2 general election

BANGKOK, January 29 (TNA) - The Election Commission of Thailand (EC) is proceeding with its preparations for the forthcoming new general election, after its Tuesday's meeting with the caretaker government resolved that the new national poll date will remain intact on February 2, 2014. EC Chairman Supachai Somcharoen told journalists on Wednesday, as the caretaker government does not consider that the postponement of the February 2 general election will solve current problems, the EC must do its duty in carrying on organizing the general election because the authority to postpone an election belongs to the prime minister who is to propose a royal decree for the delay for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's approval. Supachai said that the EC will then ask security authorities to protect voters at polling units nationwide. As anti-government protesters laid siege to some post offices to block the delivery of ballots to southern Thai provinces, the EC chair revealed that the election agency will find a way to bring ballots out of the three seized post offices in Thung Song District of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Hat Yai District of Songkhla Province and Chumphon Province because, without ballots, it is impossible to organize the election of list-MPs. Affected by the ongoing domestic political unrest, there has been no constituency candidate in the Thai South. As the caretaker government insists on having the new general election on the coming Sunday, vote and election campaigns have, meanwhile, become active in many provinces.(TNA)