As organic laws are being written following the new charter, the bill concerning political parties will tackle the issue with a renewed attempt to free parties from such domination through a rearrangement of the links between people, political parties and politicians through the decentralisation of power and stronger democratic institutions, while also demanding more transparency, drafters said. Sompong Srakawee, head of the NRSA working group overseeing the political parties law, has said that his group proposed that political parties should be institutionalised and freed from the influence of financiers. Satitorn Tananitichote, a political scientist specialising in political parties and elections at King Prajadhipok’s Institute, said the organic law could be headed in the right direction. Satitorn added that he believed the law should provide options for bigger parties, including well-established parties that would like to adopt the primary system as well. As for transparency, he agreed that political parties needed sufficient funding to compete in elections.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 20, 2016 18:01 UTC