FRIDAY, April 19, 2024
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Junta supporter demands Senate votes to pass budget 

Junta supporter demands Senate votes to pass budget 

Junta champion Paiboon Nititawan on Thursday proposed that the military-appointed Senate be authorised to pass the national budget bill in order to avoid political deadlock.

The idea came amid concern that the next government would be unstable and unable to pass important bills. 
Political rivals, for and against the National Council for Peace and Order, are neck and neck in their efforts to form a government with some 240 or 250 MPs each in the 500-member house.
The Constitution stipulates the Senate had the authority to push through national reform. Paiboon suggested that all legislation in the next five years could involve “reform”.
The idea, however, was not welcomed.
Wissanu Krea-ngam, deputy prime minister in charge of legal affairs, said it was impossible to claim all the laws were related to national reform and deserved the Senate to pass. 
"This is not the solution. The solution is to have a majority MPs in hand," Wissanu said.
Other politicians also opposed the idea, including Future Forward secretary-general Piyabutr Sangkanokkul and Pheu Thai member Chusak Sirinin.
Piyabutr said Paiboon had cited an exception and the country could not be run by exception. If the principles of the Constitution could be removed, then the election was unnecessary, he said.
Chusak said the national budget had nothing to do with reform.
If the government could not pass its budget, it had to resign, he said, adding that Paiboon should not interpret the law in favour of himself.

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