Bangkok (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Thai government will dissolve Parliament before next September, in line with an offer put forward in recent days to hold elections on Nov. 14. The Thai Constitution in fact provides that the vote be held between 45 and 60 days after the dissolution of Parliament.
The end of the current legislature (between 15 and 30 September) and the date of new elections (November 14) are part of "road map" for peace and reconciliation drawn up by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, in an attempt to peacefully end the "Red Shirts" protests - anti-government protesters close to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra – which in two months have caused 27 deaths and nearly 1,000 injured.
The certainty of the date, in fact, is one of the preconditions put forward by the "reds" to remove their blockade, built in the financial heart of Bangkok. They have been calling for formal commitments from the government and "sincerity and clarity" in the actions of the executive. However, there is a constant climate of mutual distrust that could hinder the achievement of a final agreement.
Natthawut Saiku, secretary general of the opposition United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), stands ready to cooperate with Prime Minister Abhisit in the footsteps of the "road map" for peace and reconciliation. He states that "the UDD leaders will meet to find a political solution to the problems" but also that it is "almost impossible for conclusion to be reached today."