Khaosod English: Thailand’s military regime has suspended local elections and announced plans to replace elected officials with bureaucrats in a move that further centralises its power over the country's provinces.
In a televised announcement issued on Tuesday night, the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) said members of local administrations in Bangkok and other provinces will be replaced by selected officials after the terms of the current officials expire. According to the order, the changes will only affect local administrative agencies where half of their members' terms are set to expire by the end of the year.
Two hundred and fifty-five local administrative agencies will be effected by the new ruling, Election Commission (EC) officials say.
The new local officials will be appointed by the EC and two-thirds of them are required to be current or former bureaucrats with the "senior" rank of C-8. According to the order, the selection process "should also consider the behaviour, morality, honesty, and political neutrality of the selected individuals."