Government at impasse as charter change bill reading delayed
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The government has no involvement nor mandate in resolving the legislative hurdle over charter change, Council of State secretary general Achaporn Charuchinda said on Tuesday.
Achaporn was reacting to the order by the Constitution Court to suspend the third reading of the charter change bill until the completion of a judicial inquiry into the constitutionality of the bill.
The bill was previously scheduled for its final passage today but Parliament cancelled the session ahead of the issuing of the court injunction on Friday.
“The bill is no longer in the government's purview and Parliament will have to decide by itself (on how to handle the court injunction)," Achaporn said.
He said relevant parties were obliged to draw a conclusion on how to proceed with the bill since there was no legal precedent for the issue.
The high court cited Article 68 of the Constitution to justify its order to put the vote on hold because at issue was whether charter change was constitutional.
Opponents of the injunction said Parliament could proceed with the vote despite the injunction.
Achaporn said the delay of the third reading would not impact on the passage or the enactment of the bill.
"It is just the matter of pushing back the deadline to complete the legislative process on the bill," he said.
