Referendum clause is clear, Wissanu says
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A CONSTITUTIONAL COURT verdict may be sought to determine if the result of the upcoming referendum on the draft charter should take into account voters who turn out or all eligible voters, Deputy Premier Wissanu Krea-ngam has said.
He said people who have doubts on this matter should bring their concern to court or consult with the Council of State, which is the government’s legal advisory agency.
The government, he said, did not have doubts about this.
The amended version of the post-coup interim charter states in Article 37 that a national referendum is required to endorse the draft constitution.
The clause reads in part: “If the majority [of voters] at the referendum approves the draft constitution, the prime minister shall present the draft constitution to the King for his signature within 30 days as from the date the referendum result is published.”
Wissanu said that if most people who vote are in favour of the draft it should pass, although he understood people could have a different view.
Despite the issue still being contentious, the deputy PM said it should proceed in line with intentions of the government and Election Commission.
Wissanu said that for him the interim charter clause was clear. “How could it mean otherwise? There are 40 million eligible voters but then someone came out and insisted that at least 20 million votes are needed for the charter to pass. Where do you get that from?” he said.
He denied the unclear clause was a mistake, saying that it was similar to a clause in the 2006 interim charter, in that the 2007 draft constitution was passed after most people who voted in the referendum called for that. He saw no need to amend the article.
Wissanu also insisted that National Reform Council members could vote independently tomorrow on whether to approve the draft constitution. The government had not tried to influence their vote, as he would have known had there been such a move.
