Most Thais have little or no understanding of the new electoral system set down in the draft charter being scrutinised by the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), according to a recent survey.
Asked about their understanding of the proposed mixed member proportional representation (MMP) system, in which MPs would be elected from constituencies and party lists, 35.4% of respondents said they had little understanding, while 23.9% said they did not understand it at all.
The poll conducted on Thursday and Friday by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) surveyed 1,250 people aged 18 and over across the country, to gauge their knowledge of the proposed German-style electoral system.
Just 9.6% of respondents said they clearly understood it while 30.1% said they only had some understanding of it.
Asked what they thought about electing MPs in an open-list system, where they can specify which candidate on the party list they want - outlined in Section 105 of the draft - 40.3% of respondents supported it, while 15% opposed it saying it was too complicated.
Some 40.2% of respondents were undecided, according to the Nida poll.
On the draft charter's provision allowing political groups to field candidates both in constituencies and on party lists - outlined in Section 112 of the draft charter - some 61.2% of respondents supported it, 17.8% disagreed, while 20.9% were undecided.
Asked about Section 111 (15), which prohibits people removed from office or banned from politics from standing for election, 60.8% supported this provision while 30.7% said they were opposed to it.