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LEAD: Thailand to hold 3rd round of elections+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)BANGKOK, April 24_(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING) The Thai election commission on Monday called for the third round of elections to take place on April 29 in 13 constituencies after the ruling Thai Rak Thai party's 13 of 19 single candidates failed to get the minimum vote of 20 percent of eligible voters in Sunday's reelection. The secretary general of the Election Commission of Thailand, Ekachai Warunprapa, told reporters that the third round of elections will take place in nine southern provinces April 29 and the election commission will endorse winners of the lower house April 30. A candidate must get a vote total equal to at least 20 percent of the number of people eligible to vote in a given constituency, even if that candidate runs unopposed. When asked if the number of the House of Representatives cannot reach 500 seats as the Constitution requires, Ekachai said the secretary general of the parliament will submit the petition to the Constitution court for consideration. As of Monday, the election commission endorsed 349 winners of constituency representatives from total 400 while another 100 representatives who were elected by proportionate representation have not been concluded. The Thai Rak Thai party and another 18 small parties joined the April 2 general election without main opposition parties after the opposition coalition decided to boycott the election by saying that their requests on political reform and Constitutional amendment have not been met by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. |