Charter change draft 'ready for Parliament in three weeks'
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The constitution amendment draft is expected to be ready for Parliament's final consideration by April 26, the chairman of the committee on the charter amendment said yesterday.
Pheu Thai MP Samart Kaew-meechai, chairman of the parliamentary committee deliberating the charter-change draft, said the committee’s consideration of the draft should be completed by today.
The committee would then take the draft to the joint House-Senate meeting on the second reading on April 10-11.
As the parliamentary session is due to be extended, the House should be able to consider the draft before the end of this month.
Samart was speaking before 172 MPs and senators began to deliberate the draft yesterday afternoon.
The current House session was originally scheduled to end on April 18.
The changes to Article 291 of the current charter are aimed to determine the membership.
A majority of the committee earlier agreed with the unchanged draft proposed by the Cabinet.
The draft calls for the establishment of a Constitution Draft-ing Assembly consisting of 99 members, 77 representing the 77 provinces of Thailand, and 22 Parliament-selected experts in political science, public law and others including charter drafting.
According to the draft, excluded from the position of CDA members are MPs, senators and ministers or government officials with a position or salary. Members must not be ineligible to become an MP candidate. However, former senators and other employees of the government and state enterprises can still stand.
The panel agreed to adopt the laws on local administration elections for this CDA member election. The Election Commission will be in charge.
It called for a royal decree announcing the election of CDA members be drafted within 15 days after Parliament agrees to the drawing up of a new constitution, after which the CDA election must be completed within 75 days.
