ncr
23-04-06, 01:36 AM
Election Commission of Thailand (English language) (http://www.ect.go.th/english)
Qualification of voters (http://www.ect.go.th/english/national/senate/nat4-7-1.html):
"A person having the following qualifications has the right to vote at an election :
(1) being of Thai nationality; provided that a person who has acquired Thai nationality by naturalization must hold the Thai nationality for not less than five years;
(2) being not less than eighteen years of age on 1st January of the year of the election;
(3) having his or her name appear on the house register in the constituency for not less than ninety days up to the date of the election.
A voter who has a residence outside the constituency under Section 103 of the Constitution within which his or her name appear in the house register, or who has his or her name appear in the house register in the constituency for the period of less than ninety days up to the date of the election, or who has a residence outside the Kingdom of Thailand will have the right to cast ballot in an election in accordance with rules, procedure and conditions provided by the organic law on the election of members of the House of Representatives and Senators.
A person under any of the following prohibitions on the election day is disfranchised:
(1) being of unsound mind or of mental infirmity;
(2) being a Buddhist priest, novice, monk or clergy;
(3) being detained by a warrant of the Court or by a lawful order;
(4) being under suspension of the right to vote.
Each voter may cast his or her ballot for only one candidate in the election."
Obligation to exercise the right to vote (http://www.ect.go.th/english/national/senate/nat4-7-2.html): [ever wanted to know what happens to Thais who don't vote?]
"Under the Constitution, every person has a duty to exercise his or her right to vote at an election. The person who fails to attend an election for voting without notifying the appropriate cause of such failure will lose the following rights as provided by law:
(1) the right to challenge the result of an election for the Members of the House of Representatives, the Members of the Senate, the members of the local assembly and the local administrators;
(2) the right to challene the result of an election for Kamnan and the village headman under the law on local administration;
(3) the right to be a candidate in an election for the Members of the House of Representatives, the Members of the Senate, the members of the local assembly and the local administrators;
(4) the right to be a candidate in an election for Kamnan and the village headman under the law on local administration;
(5) the right to propose the National Assembly to consider bills under the law on the proposal of bills;
(6) the right to propose to local assembly to consider regulations under the law on the proposal of local regulations;
(7) the right to submit a petition to the Senate to remove persons from their positions under the Counter Corruption Law;
(8) the right to submit petition to remove the members of the local assembly or the local administrators under the law on the removal of the members of the local assembly or the local administrators.
The disfranchisement of rights will be in effect from the date of an election that a person fails to attend, and it shall be revoked when a person exercise his or her right to vote at the next election."
The most interesting piece has to be the following, though.
Analysis of the causes of vote buying in Thailand (http://www.ect.go.th/english/national/senate/nat7-13.html):
"Vote buying is a much more complex phenomenon than simple exchange of money for votes.
Thai society, particularly in rural areas, has long been under some kind of patronage system. Historically, landlords, and later, civil servants, military and police, were "rulers" in the eyes of ordinary people. On the one hand, these rulers enjoy many privileges, but on the other, they must also provide protection and assistance when need be. With the development of democracy over the last 60 years or so, things have not changed so much. :( Now, especially at the local level, entrepreneurs and others have become involved in local politics. They, as a new kind of ruler, have to maintain to a certain extent, the same patronage system. Yet the rules have changed- now one can become a ruler by consent of the ruled, through the ballot box. People think that the money that comes from candidate-rulers is "o.k." since the latter must provide some kind of assistance, and that money is a token or sign that more assistance can be expected.
On the other hand, candidates do not have much choice. They must set up a network of canvassers, must have some money, and must partake in some corrupt practices in order to compete in the system. So if we say " stop buying votes," what happen ? In a way, this may actually reduce the bargaining power of the voters, by blaming them, by asking them not to accept money from someone who says they will help you.
This is as if votes are to be given free of charge - as if to give those rulers "free lunches," without having to promise anything, without having to do some work for the benefit of the ordinary people.
So he hopes that in Tambon meetings, local leaders will discuss those problems, and that the academia will examine the issue in depth so as to find some corruption-free mechanism by which people can maintain some concrete leverage on the elected."
Qualification of voters (http://www.ect.go.th/english/national/senate/nat4-7-1.html):
"A person having the following qualifications has the right to vote at an election :
(1) being of Thai nationality; provided that a person who has acquired Thai nationality by naturalization must hold the Thai nationality for not less than five years;
(2) being not less than eighteen years of age on 1st January of the year of the election;
(3) having his or her name appear on the house register in the constituency for not less than ninety days up to the date of the election.
A voter who has a residence outside the constituency under Section 103 of the Constitution within which his or her name appear in the house register, or who has his or her name appear in the house register in the constituency for the period of less than ninety days up to the date of the election, or who has a residence outside the Kingdom of Thailand will have the right to cast ballot in an election in accordance with rules, procedure and conditions provided by the organic law on the election of members of the House of Representatives and Senators.
A person under any of the following prohibitions on the election day is disfranchised:
(1) being of unsound mind or of mental infirmity;
(2) being a Buddhist priest, novice, monk or clergy;
(3) being detained by a warrant of the Court or by a lawful order;
(4) being under suspension of the right to vote.
Each voter may cast his or her ballot for only one candidate in the election."
Obligation to exercise the right to vote (http://www.ect.go.th/english/national/senate/nat4-7-2.html): [ever wanted to know what happens to Thais who don't vote?]
"Under the Constitution, every person has a duty to exercise his or her right to vote at an election. The person who fails to attend an election for voting without notifying the appropriate cause of such failure will lose the following rights as provided by law:
(1) the right to challenge the result of an election for the Members of the House of Representatives, the Members of the Senate, the members of the local assembly and the local administrators;
(2) the right to challene the result of an election for Kamnan and the village headman under the law on local administration;
(3) the right to be a candidate in an election for the Members of the House of Representatives, the Members of the Senate, the members of the local assembly and the local administrators;
(4) the right to be a candidate in an election for Kamnan and the village headman under the law on local administration;
(5) the right to propose the National Assembly to consider bills under the law on the proposal of bills;
(6) the right to propose to local assembly to consider regulations under the law on the proposal of local regulations;
(7) the right to submit a petition to the Senate to remove persons from their positions under the Counter Corruption Law;
(8) the right to submit petition to remove the members of the local assembly or the local administrators under the law on the removal of the members of the local assembly or the local administrators.
The disfranchisement of rights will be in effect from the date of an election that a person fails to attend, and it shall be revoked when a person exercise his or her right to vote at the next election."
The most interesting piece has to be the following, though.
Analysis of the causes of vote buying in Thailand (http://www.ect.go.th/english/national/senate/nat7-13.html):
"Vote buying is a much more complex phenomenon than simple exchange of money for votes.
Thai society, particularly in rural areas, has long been under some kind of patronage system. Historically, landlords, and later, civil servants, military and police, were "rulers" in the eyes of ordinary people. On the one hand, these rulers enjoy many privileges, but on the other, they must also provide protection and assistance when need be. With the development of democracy over the last 60 years or so, things have not changed so much. :( Now, especially at the local level, entrepreneurs and others have become involved in local politics. They, as a new kind of ruler, have to maintain to a certain extent, the same patronage system. Yet the rules have changed- now one can become a ruler by consent of the ruled, through the ballot box. People think that the money that comes from candidate-rulers is "o.k." since the latter must provide some kind of assistance, and that money is a token or sign that more assistance can be expected.
On the other hand, candidates do not have much choice. They must set up a network of canvassers, must have some money, and must partake in some corrupt practices in order to compete in the system. So if we say " stop buying votes," what happen ? In a way, this may actually reduce the bargaining power of the voters, by blaming them, by asking them not to accept money from someone who says they will help you.
This is as if votes are to be given free of charge - as if to give those rulers "free lunches," without having to promise anything, without having to do some work for the benefit of the ordinary people.
So he hopes that in Tambon meetings, local leaders will discuss those problems, and that the academia will examine the issue in depth so as to find some corruption-free mechanism by which people can maintain some concrete leverage on the elected."