Bangkok: “Prits” is spearheading the Political Committee’s efforts to approach the Constitutional Court for clarity regarding the number of referendums required to amend the constitution. This move aims to streamline the process, ensuring that a new constitution is in place in time for the upcoming elections. He emphasized that there was no intention to pressure the court into a decision regarding “Thaksin’s” petition to overthrow the government and reiterated his stance against party dissolution.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Panusaya Wacharasindhu, a Member of Parliament from the Prachachon Party and Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Political Participation, expressed his views before a discussion with the President of the Constitutional Court about the constitution drafting process. He highlighted that drafting a new constitution is part of the government’s agenda, which has been agreed upon by the opposition party, Prachachon Party. They plan to use the referendum process three
times, but the first referendum will only take place once the Referendum Act amendment is finalized. The recent approval of the Senate’s draft, which uses a 2-tier majority vote, could extend the process by six months. Therefore, he suggested reducing the referendums from three to two to expedite the constitution drafting.

Mr. Parit noted that there has been ongoing debate about the number of referendums required. Different interpretations of the Constitutional Court’s ruling 2/2564 have led to confusion. The Prachachon Party and Pheu Thai Party interpret the ruling to mean two referendums, whereas others believe three are necessary. The committee seeks clarification from the Constitutional Court, hoping it will confirm the requirement of only two referendums. He argued that past rulings and infographics from the court supported this interpretation.

Mr. Parit mentioned that should clarity be achieved, a meeting with other parties is scheduled for November 27th. They plan to meet with the President of the Pa
rliament to discuss the sufficiency of holding two referendums. This could lead to the inclusion of draft amendments concerning the Constitution Drafting Assembly, previously proposed by the Move Forward Party and Pheu Thai Party. He also intends to meet with the Prime Minister, though a date has not been set, to align views and increase the plan’s approval chances in Parliament.

When asked about the potential timeframe if the court confirms twice-held referendums, Mr. Parit expressed optimism. He believed that clarity would prompt the House Speaker to reconsider and include the draft amendment for the Constituent Assembly, leading to a referendum on its establishment. This could pave the way for electing the assembly and drafting a new constitution, potentially in time for the next election.

Regarding concerns about influencing the Constitutional Court’s decision on Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra’s petition, Mr. Panusaya clarified that the agenda for this discussion was predetermined and unrelated. He stated that,
as an opposition party, the Prachachon Party is under investigation for actions like those concerning Mr. Thaksin and MOU 44. However, they do not support dissolving the party over such matters. The party advocates for amending laws, especially the Organic Act on Political Parties, to prevent party dissolution. They believe governmental figures should be investigated without resorting to party dissolution requests.