Local elections set for Dec 13 or 20
The Cabinet’s approval of December provincial administrative organisation (PAO) elections for 380 posts is the first step in restoring voters’ control over almost 100,000 posts that was suspended six years ago in 2014.
In the absence of local elections, tenures of PAO posts expired in 2018 and left 98,940 local politicians and administrators frozen in place.
The Election Commission (EC) has 60 days to prepare the polls, after getting the green light from Cabinet on Tuesday. Preparations include appointing local election committees and training 10,749 polling officials at provincial and district levels.
Local government administrations will then fix the election date of the elections, the voter-registration day, polling booth locations, etc.
The size of PAOs will be limited to 24 members per 500,000 residents, 30 per 1 million residents, 36 per 1.5 million residents, 42 per 2 million residents and 48 if the number of provincial residents exceeds 2 million.
Nakhon Ratchasima’s PAO will be the largest with 48 members, followed by Khon Kaen, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Buriram, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani at 42.
The EC announced election preparations from October 28, voter registration from November 5-9 or 9-13, and election day itself on either December 13 or 20.
December 10-13 is a long holiday and December 20 is just inside the 60-day deadline.
