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BANGKOK: Thailand on Wednesday announced it would hold general elections on November 25 in a bid to speed up the return to democracy in the kingdom after last year's coup.
"The government wants to make elections happen faster, and the elections must be free and fair and transparent," army-appointed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said.
The polls -- originally scheduled for December -- would be preceded by a referendum on August 19 on the new constitution, which was drafted by a body appointed by the junta that seized power last September, election commission chair Apichart Sukhagganond said.
The moves will likely appease the international community, which has been pushing for early polls, but the party of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra said any elections would be illegitimate unless it was able to contest them.
The Thai Rak Thai party was dissolved three weeks ago over vote fraud violations, and a law has not yet been passed allowing twice-elected TRT to register a new party.
"It's good that they moved up the election, but they have to open up the opportunity to register the political parties otherwise the election will not be legitimate," said Kudeb Saikrajang, a senior member of TRT.
Surayud denied that the new poll date was part of the masterplan by the junta and government to erase TRT from political life.
"I insist that we have no hidden agenda," he said.
The new constitution has also proved controversial, with democracy activists saying the draft document takes power away from elected politicians and transfers it to the hands of the army, bureaucrats and other non-elected bodies.
It is currently under public consultation and revision, and Apichart said the final draft would be finished on July 6, ready for the Thailand's first ever referendum on August 19.
TRT has said it would urge millions of its supporters to vote against the constitution unless key changes are made to the charter.
Surayud urged people to vote for the constitution, and said that if it was rejected, the junta would simply pick and impose a previous charter.
"I cannot foresee that (it will be rejected) and I don't want it to happen. I don't want to be pessimistic," he said.
Also Wednesday, the junta-appointed parliament delayed the passage of a bill repealing a post-coup announcement freezing registration of political parties, which is preventing TRT from reforming.
A military-appointed constitutional tribunal on May 30 banned 111 senior TRT members from politics for five years and dissolved the party after finding it guilty of violating regulations during a snap election in April 2006.
Their rival Democrat Party, however, escaped similar charges and would be able to stand in upcoming elections.
- AFP/ir
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