The Election Commission of Thailand has announced that the election will be held on 24 March 2019.
Royal Decree on Election
After an urgent meeting in the afternoon of 23 January 2019, the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) set the election for 24 March 2019. The date was mentioned earlier by Wissanu Krue-ngam, the Deputy Prime Minister.
The ECT will accept applications for MP candidates on 4-8 February and will announce the lists of candidates on 15 February. There will be an voting for Thai citizens abroad on 4-16 March and early voting day on 17 March. Registration for early voting and overseas voting from 28 January to 19 February.
After the announcement, the SET Index rose 15.61 points to 1,617.38 on trades of 67,698.91 million baht, according to Brand Inside.
Since the royal decree on the election has been issued earlier, Sirawith ‘Ja New’ Serithiwat and Anon Nampha confirmed with Prachatai that the People Calling for Election group will cancel the nationwide protest against delay which was planned earlier for 26 January 2019.
Before the statement, Anon said that ECT should schedule the election on 10 March because then it would have more time to count votes and be able to report the election results on 9 May, 150 days after the organic law was made effective on 11 December 2018, as required by the constitution.
Now the campaign will focus on a free, fair and peaceful election, Sirawith told Prachatai before the ECT statement, and the NCPO should act as an interim government to facilitate the election instead of acting as if it is a permanent one.
Soon after the announcement, the National Council's for People's Peaceful Revolution, a conservative movement, occupied the office of the ECT, displaying protest signs calling for the nullification of the election decree, Tanakorn Wongpanya reported. The demonstration claimed that the country is still under parliamentary dictatorship; the election is still inauspicious, unfair to the people's benefit, and unsuitable for a time of coronation.
National Council's for People's Peaceful Revolution
Source: Tanakorn Wongpanya
