Two options for Senate vote on impeachment
TO PROCEED WITH the impeachment of 308 current and former lawmakers for their role in trying to amend the constitutional clause on qualifications of senator candidates, there are two options in terms of how many senators would participate in an impeachmen
All 149 of them could be allowed to vote; or only about 99 of them if 50 are disqualified from voting because they are themselves among the 308 targeted lawmakers.
If the entire 149-member Senate is allowed to cast votes, three-fifths of the votes (about 90) are required for impeachment. In the latter case, with around 99 remaining, the three-fifths ratio means 60 votes would be required.
There are now 56 senators potentially hostile to the Yingluck government, including the anti-government Group of 40 Senators and some swing voters.
The votes of these 56 would not be sufficient to impeach the 308 in the case of the entire 149-strong chamber voting.
There has never been an impeachment case that has won more than 90 votes in this six-year-old Senate.
In the latter case, impeachment is a possibility, as only five more votes are needed, given that all of the 56 senators approve of impeachment.
