Thai courts clearing path out of political crisis

Bangkok, July 26: Thailand moved promptly towards fixing a long-running political crisis today after a court cleared the way to a solution by jailing its three sitting election commissioners for four years.

The Senate and Supreme Court were starting the process to select a new Election Commission after the incumbents were jailed for mishandling a snap April general election, annulled later, which left Thailand without a government able to make key decisions.

The Supreme Court, responsible for nominating 10 candidates for the five commission posts, and the Senate, responsible for the final selection, appear determined to move swiftly to avoid delays to an election re-run set for October 15.

''It has to be as soon as possible,'' said Wirat Chinwinigkul, a member of a Supreme Court panel which has been preparing for such an eventuality.

''If the Supreme Court president agrees with our proposal in the meeting today, by August 15 we can finish everything, including the meeting of all Supreme Court judges to select the candidates,'' Wirat told state-run Radio Thailand.

He gave no further details, but Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who suffered a sharp setback with the jailing of commissioners accused of helping his party in the April election, said he believed the court already had a list of candidates.

Senate Speaker Suchon Chaleekrua said he would meet his legal staff to discuss when to start the selection process.

''By midday, we should have an answer how to begin the process,'' he told Channel 3 Television.

The jailed commissioners were expected to resign from their cell, a vital prerequisite for holding a re-run acceptable to all political parties after the main opposition boycotted the April poll because they said it could not be free and fair.

''I've brought them resignation letters,'' Election Commission secretary-general Ekachai Warunprapha told reporters in front of the Bangkok Special Prison on Wednesday morning.

The Bangkok Criminal Court verdict came three months after King Bhumibol Adulyadej told judges to clean up the mess left behind by the April election that Thaksin called in an attempt to defuse street protests against him.

The king sprang a surprise last week by approving a new election on October 15, saying he wanted a swift end to the political stalemate that has paralysed government decision-making and caused economists to trim economic growth forecasts.

Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party is expected to win the October run-off with a reduced majority.

The whole saga started at the end last year when a former business associate launched a public campaign accusing Thaksin of corruption, cronyism and abuse of power.

Despite massing more than 100,000 supporters on one occasion outside the Government House, the campaign to oust Thaksin looked destined to fail until his family sold off their stake in the family telecoms empire for a tax-free 1.9 billion dollars.

Thaksin called the snap election to counter anger in Bangkok at the deal. But an opposition boycott led to an inconclusive result, and ultimately the decision to annul the entire poll.

Reuters