BANGKOK: Mr. Nikorn Chamnong, a member of the joint committee tasked with reviewing the draft referendum bill, expressed doubts about the possibility of holding a referendum on constitutional amendments in February 2025. The committee has yet to schedule a meeting to address amendments made by the Senate, which include changes to the criteria for passing the referendum through a two-tier majority vote.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Nikorn indicated that although an invitation for a meeting could be issued on October 24, regulations require that such invitations be sent three days in advance. This means the earliest possible meeting date would be October 28. Even if the committee concludes its discussions in one day, the tight timeline would prevent the proposal from being sent to each legislative house for consideration and voting before the session ends on October 30.
Mr. Nikorn further commented on the suggestion to convene a special parliamentary session in November, stating that it was not immediat
ely necessary to address the referendum bill. He suggested that the draft could be reviewed in the next session scheduled for December. However, he emphasized that this timeline would make it impossible to hold the referendum concurrently with local elections in February 2025.