Parliament to debate charter amendments in December session

Parliament will deliberate on charter amendment bills during its next session in December, as confirmed by House Speaker Wan Muhammad Noor Matha.

The decision followed an agreement between the government, opposition, and Senate whips to address the proposed revisions to the 2017 constitution in the upcoming Parliamentary session due to time constraints in the current one, which concludes tomorrow, October 30.

The discussions are scheduled to take place on December 15 to 16. Wan stated that a special parliamentary session could be convened if necessary, and the House might request one for bills needing urgent attention.

Addressing potential changes to Section 256 of the constitution, which allows for the establishment of a charter drafting body, Wan emphasised that such changes must be approved via a referendum before proceeding.

People’s Party list MP Parit Wacharasindhu suggested reducing the number of referendums on the charter from three to two to prevent further delays. His comments came amid disagreements between the House and Senate over the majority needed to pass a constitutional referendum.

The House supports a simple majority, while the Senate insists on two conditions: over 50% voter participation and a majority of those voters supporting the referendum. A joint committee has been formed to resolve this issue, aiming to hold the referendum next February as scheduled.

Parit argued for a two-round referendum process to avoid delays while still complying with the Constitutional Court’s ruling. The court mandated that the public must approve any Parliamentary move to amend the entire charter. If a first referendum supports the charter amendment, a second one will determine public approval of the changes.

Under the current plan, a referendum will first ask voters if they agree to drafting a new charter. If the majority agrees, a second referendum will ask if Section 256 should be amended to facilitate the new charter’s drafting.

Once a new constitution is drafted, a third vote will be held to decide whether the changes should be adopted, reported Bangkok Post.