Global General

Special

Newsmaker

Asia Pacific

America

Middle East

Europe

Africa

Thai EC postpones decision on party disbandment

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-19 16:21

BANGKOK -- The Election Commission (EC) of Thailand decided on Tuesday to postpone its decision in the party-dissolution case against the ruling People Power Party to next week.

The EC reasoned that it would like to hear testimony from certain election officials involved before making a final decision.

Related readings:  Thai poll body to decide on disbanding ruling party  Thai PM won't resign despite widespread criticism  Former Thai PM Thaksin flees to UK  Thai former PM Thaksin may announce political asylum

Earlier, the election body was scheduled to decide on Tuesday whether to seek a dissolution against the PPP for its electoral fraud case.

If the EC decides to seek the dissolution, it will pass on the case to the Office of the Attorney General.

The EC took up the case for deliberation after Yongyuth Tiyapairat, a former deputy leader of the People Power Party, was found in reference to the electoral fraud during last December's general election.

According to the 2007 Constitution, which was drafted after a military coup in 2006, a party could be disbanded if any of its executives was found conducted fraud during general elections.

However, Thailand's Prime Minister and the PPP's leader said earlier that if his PPP and other parties are dissolved by the court, the Thai political system could collapse.  "I have heard that the Democrat Party and other parties might be disbanded too, and this will really be the end of politics," he said.

Meanwhile, an executive of the PPP said last week that the party has already registered two other backup parties. If the PPP is dissolved, all of its members can be converted into the new parties.