Phuket gears up for April elections

PHUKET: Voters in Phuket and across the country will be busy in April with two national elections: the Parliamentary election slated for April 2 (though that date may be changed)and the Senatorial election on April 19.

Dr Sriyada Palimapan will be the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party candidate for Phuket’s Parliamentary District 1 while Wisut Santikul will stand for District 2.

Whether the Democrats – who held both seats in Phuket until Parliament was dissolved – will field candidates is not clear. The Democrats, the Mahachon Party and the Chart Thai Party have decided to boycott the April 2 election as part of the growing drive for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to resign.

Kittipong Thiengkunagrit, Director of the Phuket Election Commission said, “By Thai law, when there is only one party represented in any election, a minimum of 20% of those eligible to vote must do so. Otherwise, a new election would have to be held.”

Candidates for election to Parliament must register between March 4 and 8 at the Phuket Provincial Meeting Hall. The candidates’ names will be announced on March 17.

Candidates for the Senatorial race – there is one seat for each of Thailand’s provinces – must register between March 24 and 28, with candidates’ names being announced April 3. The unofficial list of senatorial candidates for Phuket now includes: Dr Prasit Koeysiripong, Thanyarat Achariyachai, Prawat Suwannadithakul and Uthai Suksirisamphan.