Constitutional Court to rule on petition against charter change
The Constitutional Court is due to rule tomorrow on whether to launch a judicial review on the latest petition related to the charter change bill.
The petition, filed by senators Somjed Boontanom and Rosana Tositrakul, contends that the bill’s proponents are in violation of Article 68 of the Constitution, which outlaws any attempt to overthrow the political system.
The two senators said the bill, aimed at transforming the Senate by making it 100-per-cent elected, could be seen as unconstitutional because it would alter the system enshrined in the charter.
The two also petitioned for an injunction to halt the process for royal approval until the judicial review had been completed.
Police say they expect demonstrators to rally at the court in support of the bill tomorrow. The court’s office has prepared a contingency plan to relocate the judicial session to a temporary venue should the protests spiral out of control.
In a related development, the court will also hear arguments related to the Budget Bill.
The 2014 Budget has been put on hold pending the outcome of a review on the constitutionality of the budgetary allocations for independent organisations.
