The Thai Parliament is gearing up to examine a series of charter amendment bills aimed at revising the 2017 constitution, with discussions set to take place in mid-January.
Parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha confirmed this development, highlighting a total of 17 proposals for section-by-section amendments. Additionally, there is a significant bill sponsored by the opposition People’s Party (PP), aiming to amend Section 256 to facilitate the creation of a charter-drafting assembly (CDA).
The legal committee under the Parliament president has recommended the inclusion of the People’s Party bill on the parliamentary agenda. As a result, Wan plans to have this bill, along with the others, ready for scrutiny on January 14 and 15. Discussions with the government, opposition, and Senate whips are scheduled for January 8 to determine which amendment bill will be prioritised.
Parit Wacharasindhu, a list-MP from PP, expressed optimism on Monday, December 23, that the bill proposing a CDA would soon be presented to Parliament. According to Parit, the bill is pivotal as it proposes a more efficient process for rewriting the charter, reducing the number of required referendums from three to two, which could potentially result in a new charter being drafted before the next general election.
The opposition argues that two referendums are adequate for the proposed charter rewrite and claims this approach aligns with a recent Constitutional Court ruling. In 2021, the court determined that public approval is necessary for any comprehensive charter amendment, mandating a first referendum for approval and a subsequent one to ratify the new content.
When questioned about the feasibility of holding only two referendums, Wan pointed out that regardless of the number, the charter rewrite still requires the backing of a third of the Senate. He emphasised that placing the bills on the parliamentary agenda does not ensure their passage and expressed uncertainty about whether the Constitutional Court’s ruling would need to be revisited regarding the referendum issue.
“But if the charter proposals aren’t included on the agenda, people will regret the lack of progress.”
Earlier statements from the House Speaker indicated that the section-by-section amendment bills would not conflict with the 2021 Constitutional Court ruling, as they do not aim to alter the entire charter, reported Bangkok Post.
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