Parliament to consult on charter amendment referendum

Upon the resumption of the Parliament session on December 12, MPs and senators will be consulted on the method of conducting a referendum on a charter amendment, revealed the head of a referendum hearing sub-panel, Nikorn Chamnong. He plans to forward a questionnaire to Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, the House Speaker, and Senate Speaker Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, who will request their insights on the matter.

The sub-panel anticipates receiving responses from the MPs by December 14 and from senators by December 20. The lawmakers’ feedback will be considered alongside the views gathered from professional and social groups, forming a comprehensive understanding of public opinion regarding the referendum.

The questionnaire will pose a series of queries to the lawmakers. These include whether they support the drafting of a new charter or if they believe a referendum should precede any amendment to the charter. Additionally, they will be asked if a referendum’s approval should necessitate the endorsement of at least one-third of the senators.

Another critical issue to be addressed is whether the members of the charter rewriting body should be wholly or partially elected. Nikorn noted that he was exploring the issue of the double majority requirements, where over 50% of eligible citizens must vote in the referendum, and a majority of those votes must approve it.

He suggested that the simple majority rule should only apply to the turn-out requirement, given the difficulty of achieving the double majority. However, this matter is still under detailed examination.

Moreover, the House sub-committee on elections, led by Move Forward Party list-MP Parit Wacharasindhu, invited experts and academics to a forum to discuss the proposed composition of the charter rewriting assembly. Pongthep Thepkanchana, former Pheu Thai Party chief strategist and charter writer, advocated for experts’ inclusion in the assembly to stimulate an exchange of ideas and experiences.

Additionally, Thammasat University’s Law Center director, Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, emphasised that members of the charter redrafting assembly should be directly elected. He urged careful consideration of whether the election of charter rewriters should follow the general election format. He also suggested making the new charter more concise.

Lastly, the Election Commission (EC) projected that the referendum would cost at least 3 billion baht, a rise from the 2.7 billion baht expended on the previous referendum. The EC attributes this increase to a larger voter base, new legal regulations, and inflation, reported Bangkok Post.