The Office of the Election Commission (EC) plans to ask for a budget of 5.8 billion baht to fund the next election, acting secretary-general Pol Col Charungwit Phumma said on Thursday.
Speaking at a meeting with senior officials, Pol Col Charungwit said the amount, which represents a 93% increase from the previous election budget, was needed to help fund candidates' campaigns.
"The EC will spend about 5.8 billion baht on holding the next election, an increase of 2.8 billion baht from previous elections," he said.
"The increment is intended as a subsidy for election candidates and this is hoped to ensure fairness among parties," he said.
He said the EC is also drafting regulations for its fund to combat election fraud.
According to Pol Col Charungwit, the EC plans to offer rewards to people who provide evidence of vote-rigging to the EC if that leads to candidates being disqualified.
The EC's acting secretary-general said the office expects to receive an organic bill on MP elections soon and it is prepared to contest a few points in the related draft law including the lifting of a ban on entertainment shows during campaigns.
Those points will be submitted to the EC for consideration first, he said.
Entertainment activities, which can draw crowds, are deemed to run counter to political reforms which seek to reduce campaign expenses and help small parties with limited funds to compete with well-funded parties.
He said the office also disagrees with the voting period which is scheduled from 7am to 5pm, noting longer voting hours may lead to additional costs but cannot guarantee a high turnout.
"Voting usually takes place on Sunday and I don't think anyone will wake up earlier to cast votes. This could inconvenience people in remote areas," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the EC's proposed budget will be considered by the Budget Bureau but the government's initial estimate stands at 3 billion baht.
A joint committee of the National Legislative Assembly, Constitution Drafting Committee and EC will decide on lifting the ban.