PT to push for fresh charter

The ruling Pheu Thai Party will meet with its coalition partners to push for a new constitution in response to the Senate on Monday voting to retain the present double majority requirement needed to win a referendum on a new supreme law.
After the session, the Upper House voted 164-21 with nine abstentions to retain the double majority requirement. The Senate committee vetting the charter referendum bill also supported it.
Prime Minister’s Office Minister Chousak Sirinil said that a joint committee is expected to be formed to thrash out differences of opinion between the Lower and Upper Houses on the size of the majority needed to pass a referendum on the government’s rewrite of the 2017 constitution.
But this could delay the time frame for a national referendum, tentatively scheduled for Feb 2 next year, the same day as the election of members of provincial administrative organisations, he said.
In light of this, Pheu Thai will have to meet with leaders of coalition parties to discuss what action should be taken, Mr Chousak said, adding that some coalition parties have proposed amending Section 256 of the constitution to pave the way for a charter-writing body to draw up a new charter.
“If a new charter is drawn up this way and passed by parliament, it can be put to a referendum straight away,” Mr Chousak said, adding that charter amendment was part of the government’s policy statement.
During the debate before Monday’s Senate vote, Nikorn Chamnong, who is among the minority members of the Senate committee vetting the bill, said he disagreed with the switch back to a double majority because this requirement would make it difficult for a new charter proposal to win a referendum.
“It is unlikely that the people’s constitution will be enacted during the remaining three years of the government’s term. The charter referendum should be held alongside the elections for members of provincial administrative organisations on Feb 2, next year in order to save costs,” Mr Nikorn said.
After Monday’s vote, the next step is for the Senate to send the bill back to the House of Representatives. If the House agrees with the Senate’s changes, it can send it to the prime minister to seek royal endorsement.
But if the House disagrees, a joint House-Senate committee will be set up to iron out their differences. If the Lower House and the Upper House still cannot agree, the bill will be suspended for 180 days.
Afterwards, if more than half of the members of the House of Representatives still vote in favour of the bill, it will be sent for royal approval, though this process will take a long time, according to observers.
The double majority refers to two conditions necessary before a referendum result can be considered binding.
First, more than 50% of eligible voters must have participated in the referendum, and the majority of those who cast votes must approve it.
Previously, some minority senators pointed to irregularities in the Senate committee’s decision and raised concerns over delays to the first referendum.
Sen Nantana Nantavaropas, a committee member, said it appeared to her that someone had manipulated the Senate committee’s vote.
Sen Chattrawat Saengphet, the committee chairman, meanwhile, shrugged off criticism that the decision was intended to delay the bill.