CDC opts for indirect election of senators from 20 social groups
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THE CONSTITUTION Drafting Commission (CDC) yesterday opted for the indirect election of 200 senators from 20 social groups in the hope that the Upper House could serve the increasingly diverse country.
The framers are expecting senators under the new system to be knowledgeable and experienced in a range of fields, said Chartchai na Chiangmai, the CDC’s spokesman.
The CDC dropped the idea of a direct election because senators would have different duties than members of the House of Representatives and they would not have impeachment authority.
The main focus of the Upper Chamber would not only be deliberating bills, but also reconciling the interests of different sectors of society and facilitating compromises, so their backgrounds should be varied enough to respond to the emergence of new ideologies, businesses, racial issues and other developments.
Candidates for the indirect election could be representatives of legal bodies or independents endorsed by a recognised organisation.
The election would be divided into three levels – district, provincial and national. Each level will have two rounds – one within each group and then another involving the 19 other groups – before passing to the next level.
These are only the general principles. The details would be left to organic laws, including the qualifications of candidates, who should be knowledgeable and experienced people to represent social groups.
Chartchai also said the poll conducted nationwide by the National Statistical Office with more than 5,800 respondents concerning constitutional matters, including the electoral method and the origin of the premier, found that 63.6 per cent agreed with the mixed-member apportionment polling system proposed by the CDC.
About 18.6 per cent did not approve of that system, while 17.8 per cent were undecided.
The single-ballot system used to vote for MPs was also backed by the majority of the respondents at 77.6 per cent, while 15.3 per cent opposed it. The rest did not know or were not sure about the matter.
On the controversial premier-list system of each party submitting a list of five PM candidates during an election campaign, 80.7 per cent agreed, 13.2 per cent opposed and 6.1 per cent were unsure.
Also, 64.3 per cent said those on the prime ministerial list could be either MPs from any party or non-MPs. About 23.9 per cent showed disagreement while 11.8 per cent were uncertain.
As for anti-corruption measures, 59.4 per cent of the respondents went with the lifetime ban while 34 per cent opted for the five-year suspension. Only 1.3 per cent did not want any measures and 4.5 per cent were unsure.
The survey was conducted properly with close collaboration from the CDC and the NSO. More rounds of polling would follow in February after the first draft is out in late January, he added.
