With political sides holding differing views on constitutional amendments, especially on amendments to Section 272, which allows senators to join members of parliament (MPs) in voting for a prime minister, the opposition Pheu Thai Party resolved that it will not support the Move Forward Party’s motion to amend this section. However, some government MPs voiced their support for it, and they will file their own amendment proposal, which is not related to the coalition partners’ motion.
A Democrat Party MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thepthai Senpong, raised the issue of amending Section 272 at the party’s meeting. The party’s whip will submit a request to the government whip before it drafts the charter amendment proposal. The Democrats will then seek 100 names of MPs from other political parties who support the issue.
Mr. Thepthai has a different opinion on amendments to Section 256, paving the way for the establishment of a constitution drafting assembly. The 240-day time frame for drafting the charter is too long and may not be able to keep up with the situation. A period of 180 days should be enough. It will take 45 days to form the drafting assembly, and 225 days, or seven and a half months, to draft the new charter.
MPs of the Pheu Thai Party held a meeting yesterday to discuss constitutional amendment issues. Most MPs agreed with the Section 256 amendment proposal. They believe that allowing the people to participate in charter amendments would be the best solution for the country. However, they did not agree with the Move Forward Party’s motion to amend Section 272, because the timing might not be appropriate. Nonetheless, the Pheu Thai Party is open to talks with Move Forward members.
Government and opposition MPs, who share similar views, will be eagerly watched, to see if they will sign their names to support this motion. (NNT)
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