Few parties like direct election of PM
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Many want to maintain selection system despite opinion polls showing otherwise
About a third or 23 of the 74 existing political parties, including Pheu Thai, have voiced support for maintaining the system in which the House of Representative elects the prime minister, General Lertrat Ratanavanich, chairman of the National Reform Council (NRC) sub-panel on gathering views and opinions, said yesterday.
The revelation came after groups including the Council of University Presidents of Thailand, King Prajadhipok’s Institute (KPI) and the NRC sub-panel on political reform proposed that the prime minister be directly elected by voters.
Recent opinion polls have also found that most members of the public want to have the right to vote for their prime minister directly.
Meanwhile, Lertrat said Pheu Thai had submitted its views on political reform and adjustments for the so-called independent organisations under the constitution.
Another consensus of the 23 political parties, submitted in writing to the NRC, included that the requirement of MPs belonging to a political party remain, though 11 of these parties want no limits to the terms served by MPs.
Hybrid Senate favoured
As for the Senate, all parties that submitted their views said they preferred a hybrid system, where part of the Senate is elected and the remainder selected.
Parties that submitted their proposals and opinions in writing included Chart Thai Pattana, Chart Pattana, Bhum Jai Thai and Pheu Thai. Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva had relayed his party’s proposals in person earlier.
Lertrat said that judging by the response, it could be concluded that most political parties wanted to see the system in which the prime minister is chosen by the House to remain and that the bicameral legislature of an upper and lower House be maintained.
Most of the political parties also favour maintaining the one-MP-per-district system as well as having all MPs belong to a political party, because they say this strengthens political parties and makes them credible.
They also want to maintain the system of 125 party-list MPs as before.
Lertrat said that though 11 political parties did not want to see term limits imposed on MPs, 10 parties said MPs should only be allowed to serve two consecutive terms.
As for the minimum age of eligible voters, the majority of the political parties want it to be set at 18.
In relation to the process of selecting members of independent organisations under the charter, most parties called for a more diverse group of applicants as well as a more diverse set of selectors.
Most parties also said that the serving term of members of some independent organisations, such as the National Anti-Corruption Commission, be reduced from nine to five years.
