Bangkok: Somkid Chuekong, Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs and a member of the Pheu Thai Party, has expressed skepticism about the feasibility of amending the constitution within a four-month timeframe.
According to Thai News Agency, Somkid believes that while it is possible to amend the constitution in such a short period, the timeframe is too restrictive to implement effectively.
Somkid addressed Mr. Parit Wacharasindhu, a party-list MP for the Prachachon Party and a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Political Development, who indicated that political parties would submit a draft amendment to Chapter 15/1 of the constitution next week. Somkid questioned whether the Pheu Thai Party was prepared, noting that they already had a draft ready. He suggested that if the Prachachon Party or the Bhumjaithai Party were prepared, they could submit their drafts first, as it had been their primary objective for some time.
He noted that the matter had been addressed in the previous parliamentary session multiple times, with only one ballot issue resolved. He emphasized that even if Mr. Priss wanted to pursue the amendments, the parties would ultimately reconvene during the parliamentary session.
Somkid explained that the Pheu Thai Party's original draft required approximately eight months to finalize the Constituent Assembly, as 200 members were elected from each province. Completing this process in three to four months would be challenging, and he questioned how it could be expedited. He also pointed out that an amendment to Section 256 would face hurdles if only one-third of the senators did not vote in favor, posing a potential stumbling block.
In response to questions about the People's Party's awareness of the timeframe constraints, Somkid mentioned that they had considered all the conditions but completing the amendments in four months was legally impossible. He explained that the drafting process could either involve a drafting committee or be undertaken by the committee themselves, depending on the legislation each party proposed.
Regarding Mr. Pris's confidence that the amendments could be ready by January 2026 if passed in three readings, Somkid expressed doubt due to the short timeframe. He highlighted that the referendum process alone would take about four months, and time would be needed for committee debates.
Somkid suggested that if there is a genuine desire to draft a bill, Prime Minister Anutin should consider dissolving Parliament to allow any party to submit a new draft amendment. He expressed uncertainty about achieving this within four months, given that previous attempts had never been completed in time.
Regarding the Bhumjaithai Party's readiness to support the amendment, Somkid stated that while they could support the matter independently, he would need to review the draft first. He expressed confidence that Mr. Anutin would address any issues promptly.
Finally, when asked about the government's tenure in light of the constitutional amendment timeframe, Somkid affirmed that parliament would be dissolved within four months as promised. He noted the importance of adhering to public commitments and suggested that parliament could potentially be dissolved sooner, allowing parties to campaign for constitutional amendments successfully.