Bangkok: "Wan Nor" has set March 17 as the date for a joint parliament meeting to request a resolution to send the issue of how many times to hold a referendum to the Constitutional Court for interpretation. This step indicates that if the court accepts the case, the process must be delayed, and the constitution will need to be amended first.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Wan Muhammad Noor Matha, the President of the National Assembly, chaired a joint meeting between representatives of the Cabinet, Senators, Members of the House of Representatives from both the government and opposition political parties. Following a meeting that lasted over an hour, Mr. Wan Muhammad Noor announced that a special joint parliamentary session would convene on March 5, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. to deliberate on four matters. These include the approval of Protocol No. 1 for ASEAN-Hong Kong trade, the ASEAN Food Safety Regulations Agreement, the draft Organic Act on the Prevention and Suppression of Corruption No. B.E., and the draft regulations of the joint parliamentary meeting No. B.E.
Additionally, the meeting agreed to schedule another joint session on March 17, 2025, to consider a motion requesting the parliament to seek a Constitutional Court ruling on the constitutional amendment process. This motion, put forth by Dr. Premsak Piayura, Senator, and Mr. Wisut Chainarun, MP of the Pheu Thai Party, aims to clarify whether a referendum is required for the constitutional amendment and, if so, how many times it should be conducted.
If the matter is sent to the Constitutional Court and comes under its consideration, the parliament will temporarily postpone the constitutional amendment process. However, this delay is not expected to be lengthy. Once the court delivers its verdict, the parliament is prepared to meet promptly to address the issue and aims to resolve it within the current session.