Referendum may be delayed if court rules against law
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Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Thursday that the referendum on the charter draft scheduled on August 7 could be postponed if the Constitutional Court ruled that Article 61 of the Public Referendum Act 2016 is unconstitutional.
If the court issues a verdict before the referendum date taking place all process needs to stop but if not, it will be go out as scheduled, the premier said.
The Ombudsman resolved yesterday to submit a review to the court after they agreed that the Article could be deemed in violation of the 2014 interim charter that guarantees freedom of expression.
The Ombudsman’s ruling came after former senator and director of Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw), Jon Ungpakorn, filed a petition with the Ombudsman seeking a ruling on the legality of Article 61.
The junta's road map plans the general election in late 2017 if the charter draft clears the referendum.
