The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Bangkok

Thailand's Election Commission (EC) deferred a decision on Tuesday on whether to recommend that the ruling People Power Party (PPP) be disbanded for electoral fraud, saying it needed to investigate further. "The commission will vote on the issue on September 2," EC secretary-general Suthipon Thaveechaiyagarn told reporters. Earlier, the Thai-language Matichon newspaper quoted an EC source as saying the five commissioners were split on the issue, suggesting their ruling would be delayed. Analysts say the Constitutional Court, which has the final say on the matter, is likely to endorse the EC's findings, although it may take several months to implement any ruling. If it rules against the PPP, at least 33 senior party leaders from Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee would automatically lose their jobs and be barred from politics for five years.

The case before the Election Commission stems from the guilty verdict handed down in July against a deputy PPP leader for vote fraud in December's election. He was also banned from politics for five years.

Under the constitution drawn up by the army after a 2006 coup, an entire party can be disbanded and all of its executives barred from politics if just one member of the party's leadership is found guilty of vote fraud.