Charter to allow relatives of MPs to run for the Senate

Also, senators-to-be would not require an educational degree, the panel decided. CDC spokesman Udom Rathamarut said the drafters did not want to bar politicians’ kin, believing such an action to be a deprivation of their political rights.

They are confident that the new election method would ensure a fair process, he said, as candidates would have to pass at least four steps before making it to the Upper House.

At the first level, they would have to be elected by people within their fields, a requirement that the drafters believe could to some extent prevent politicians from exploiting their popularity to back senatorial candidates.

Besides, he added, there are three more steps – from the district to the national level – that that they would have to pass through, so the CDC does not see a problem in having politicians’ relatives running for the Senate.

Udom explained that the drafters wished to see senators who were experts in their fields with at least 10 years of real-life experience behind them, and not having a college degree should not be a precondition against them becoming a senator. That said, an organic law could set out that candidates need to pass an aptitude test to confirm their capability, he said.

The spokesman went on to say that 200 senators from 20 social groups would have three main tasks.

First, their role would be to deliberate laws. As experts from different fields, they should be able to say what standard laws should be in place to serve the diverse needs of the country.

Secondly, they should act as a check-and-balance mechanism, examining a government’s performance by questioning ministers in Parliament. Thirdly, they would be the panel that selected or approved independent agencies’ commissioners, including judges in the Administrative and Constitutional Courts.

Udom also said senators should serve a five-year term, with no extension. Moreover, the CDC resolved that senators would not be able to take up any political positions, such as ministerial seats or MPs, within five years after finishing their terms.

In addition, those individuals subject to an electoral ban would not be able to apply for a senatorial seat, even if their case had not been finally ruled on by a court. The spokesman said the CDC stood firmly in favour of the Senate being free from political influence, which was why its members would not be directly elected.

Also, the charter writers consider that the Upper House’s members should have a different perspective from that of MPs in the House of Representatives.

The spokesman said the 20 groups in the Senate would cover a wide range of sectors, including government, the private sector and civil society, plus one group being left open for “other categories”, to ensure that it truly covered all groups in society.

This approach would also embrace sub-groups of professional guilds, which the drafters believe would give the Upper House greater diversity.

Udom said the CDC had only set out the major principles for the Senate in the constitution, and further details would be stipulated in an organic law on senatorial elections.

In a separate interview, CDC chairman Meechai Ruchupan yesterday said the new constitution would include an amnesty for coup-makers, as it was “a tradition” to do so.

However, no conclusion has been reached about how many articles in total the charter would carry, he added.