Bangkok: The House of Representatives has given its approval to the draft of the Joint Ticket Act, advancing the legislative process by sending the proposal to the Senate for further deliberation. The decision was reached during a session presided over by Speaker Wan Muhammad Noor Matha, who guided the House through the second and third readings of the Common Ticket Management Act, B.E.
According to Thai News Agency, the session began with Nattawut Buapratum, a party-list MP from the Prachachon Party, requesting assurances from the Speaker that the meeting would not be adjourned prematurely, as had occurred the previous week. Buapratum emphasized the importance of comprehensive consultation with all parties involved to ensure the meeting's continuity, highlighting that any adjournment should not result from miscommunication or be attributed to the opposition.
Speaker Wan Muhammad Noor addressed the concerns by stating that a smooth coordination would be possible if a quorum was present, expressing his intention to consider as many laws as possible during the session. However, the process to consider and vote on Section 35 of the draft was delayed due to the initial absence of opposition MPs, which led to a brief wait for government MPs to meet the quorum. Eventually, 248 members were present, just surpassing the required quorum of 246.
The House proceeded to debate and vote on the remaining 54 sections of the draft, maintaining a marginal quorum with only a few additional members present. Despite these challenges, the bill successfully passed the second reading. The session, chaired by Mr. Chaiya Phromma, First Vice President of the House of Representatives, concluded with a decisive vote of 382 in favor, none against, two abstentions, and five members not voting, paving the way for the draft to be sent to the Senate for further review.