Election Commission 'fully prepared for early vote'
Election Commission secretary general Sawang Boonmee on Thursday declined to confirm May 7 as the date of the general election, but he said the commission is prepared to organise an early election if the House of Representatives is dissolved before its term ends.
In response to a question on whether a House dissolution expected in early March would affect the commission’s tentative schedule of May 7 for the next general election, Sawang said that the agency was well prepared for any possible date.
The current House of Representatives’ four-year term ends on March 23 so a House dissolution in early March would not have any significant impact on the commission’s preparations to organise the election, he said.
When asked if the election date would still be May 7, he responded: “Do I still have to answer that question?”
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha is empowered by the Constitution to dissolve the Lower House before its term ends, which will result in an earlier election date.
Sawang also said on Thursday that the commission has improved its vote-reporting system to rectify flaws in the system used in the last general election in March 2019.
The updated system will report unofficial results of the vote count in real time with accuracy and speed, he said.
