Coalition draws the line at CDA formation
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The government will not concede to the opposition's two demands related to the charter amendment bill, coalition chief whip Udomdej Ratanasatien said on Wednesday.
The coalition has already agreed to the opposition’s demand on using the senatorial election rules for the Constitution Drafting Assembly and will not make any more concessions,” he said.
Udomdej said in one of its two demands, the opposition wanted to change a clause on the parliamentary vote to elect 22 CDA members comprising academics and professionals.
In the government-sponsored draft, lawmakers would vote on all nominees and those 22 with the most votes would get elected. But the opposition counterproposed that each MP should vote for one nominee, hence preventing a block vote based on partisanship.
Udomdej said the government deemed it impractical and unprecedented to comply with the opposition’s demand. In the past, Parliament voted on all CDA nominees without any limitations.
For another demand, the opposition wanted the CDA to present the charter draft for partliamentary deliberation before holding a referendum vote.
Udomdej said lawmakers, as the people’s representatives, did not need to vet the draft because the people would directly render their judgement on the draft via the referendum.
The Nation
