Despite this attempt at disruption, the registration of candidates went ahead, although Election Commission staff had to be evacuated by helicopter when the process was concluded. Later, however, the head of the Election Commission, Supachai Somcharoen, called for the election to be postponed. "It is not hard to predict that the election will not be smooth, fair and transparent under the current circumstances," he said. In response, Deputy Prime Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana said that there was no legal way the election could be postponed. "There is no clause in the charter or any other law which authorises the government to postpone the election date," he said. Thai media suggested that the Election Commissioners might resign if the government did not postpone the election, or they might postpone it on their own authority, despite lacking legal authority to do so.