File photo: Wan Muhamad Noor Matha
The Parliament is scheduled to debate constitutional amendments in a joint sitting of the House and Senate in December, according to Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha today.
He said that four draft bills, seeking to amend the existing Constitution, have already been added to parliament’s debate agenda.
He disclosed that one of the bills, which seeks to amend Section 256 of the Constitution, pertains to the amendment process, which requires a referendum to be held before the process begins.
On August 21, the House approved, by 409:0 votes, the referendum bill advocating a single majority vote, instead of double majority, which requires a majority of votes according to two separate criteria, to endorse the charter amendment process.
Wan also noted that amending the charter as it pertains to independent organisations also requires a referendum.
Coalition parties are split on the drafting of a new charter, with the Bhumjaithai, Democrat and United Thai Nation parties taking a common stance that Chapter 1, regarding general provisions, and Chapter 2, concerning the monarchy, must be excluded from the amendment process.
