BANGKOK, Jan 24 (AFP): Thailand's Constitutional Court Friday threw a decision on whether to delay a general election due to deadly political unrest back to the prime minister and the election commission.
The court ruled that the vote could be postponed but said it was the joint responsibility of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and the chairman of the Election Commission to make the decision.
The court ruled Friday that controversial elections scheduled for next month can be delayed due to deadly political unrest, adding to pressure on the embattled premier following weeks of mass opposition protests.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has refused to step down or delay the vote following nearly three months of street rallies aimed at ousting her elected government and installing an unelected "people's council".
The main opposition party is boycotting the February 2 election, while protesters have vowed to disrupt voting, saying reforms are needed to tackle corruption and vote-buying before polls are held in around a year to 18 months.
While ruling that the February 2 vote can legally be postponed, the Constitutional Court said it was the joint responsibility of Yingluck and the chairman of the Election Commission to make that decision.
"The ball is in (Yingluck's) court and the pressure will mount on her to postpone," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
The government had previously rejected the Election Commission's call to delay the polls, noting that under the constitution an election should normally be held no more than 60 days after the dissolution of parliament, which happened in early December.
Yingluck's Puea Thai Party said it was still studying the court ruling.
Nine people have been killed and hundreds injured in grenade attacks, drive-by shootings and street clashes since the protests began at the end of October.
On Thursday, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban threatened to "close every route" to polling stations, saying the election would not be allowed to take place.
