The law should ensure that future parties are “difficult to set up but easy to stay on and difficult to be dissolved”, he said. Somchai added that if the drafting of organic laws under the new charter is smooth, then elections can be held on December 10 – which falls on Constitution Day and is a long holiday, which is far away enough from the New Year.

He said holding elections close to New Year would present the complications of electoral fraud and vote buying.

Somchai said the Constitution Drafting Commission had to come up with four organic laws on the election of MPs, senators, political parties and the Election Commission.

“The law on the election of MPs must ensure that candidates do not shoulder heavy costs in election in order to give people with integrity a chance to compete,” he said.

Somchai also dismissed concerns about the petition filed by Pheu Thai politician Ruangkrai Leekitwattana with the Supreme Administrative Court demanding that the referendum result be nullified as all households were not provided with a copy of the draft as required by law. The commissioner said that the EC had followed the law by disseminating information on the draft through many venues such as the Internet, publications and newspapers.

“The complainant may misunderstand the interim charter,” he said.

Somchai went on to say that he would propose that the EC adjust its work structure, sort of put the organisation at “set zero”, so it can dissolve its hierarchical work structure. He said from now on, commissioners must be able to work on every aspect and rotate.