The five-member coalition resolved yesterday to support the holding of a national referendum before the Parliament goes ahead with the third reading of the charter-amendment bill.
This decision was made after coalition parties met to discuss the Cabinet's proposal to hold a referendum before the final reading in order to avoid possible legal repercussions.
Pheu Thai Party leader Jarupong Ruangsuwan told the press yesterday that the coalition had unanimously agreed that the Cabinet should be formally asked to hold a referendum on the issue because the Parliament did not have the authority to do so.
He said the voting public would be asked if they supported the setting up of a new drafting assembly to write a charter draft provided the current ruling system and the monarchy is left intact.
Jarupong added that the coalition also believed that the government should cooperate with all political parties, educational institutions and the civil sector to launch a public-awareness campaign about the referendum.
Awaiting proposals
Justice Minister Pracha Promnok said he had been assigned by the Cabinet to receive proposals from coalition partners, adding that he would inform the Cabinet about the coalition's resolution by next week.
Bhokin Bhalakula, chairman of the coalition committee on charter amendments, said the government would not amend the National Referendum Act to cut down on the number of votes in the referendum.
Meanwhile, PM's Office Minister Varathep Ratanakorn said that after Pracha informs the Cabinet of the coalition's resolution, the Cabinet would consult the Council of State on how the referendum should be held.
He said the referendum would be held 90 to 120 days after the referendum plan is announced in the Royal Gazette.
Varathep said the government was obliged to encourage as many voters as possible to vote in the referendum. He said the process will be based on Article 165 and the Referendum Act, and will be valid if more than half of the voters exercised their voting rights. He added that the amendment would get the go ahead if more than half of the votes were "yes".
Varathep said Thailand had 46 million eligible voters so the turnout would have to be 23 million and at least 11.5 million "yes" votes were needed for the amendment to go through.
Latest stories in this category
- Coalition backs referendum on charter before Parliament vote
- The five-member coalition resolved yesterday to..
- Democrat riled over posting of Abhisit photo
- Abhisit, Suthep not detained
We Recommend
- 1st-car scheme causing traffic jams
- The government's first-car tax rebate scheme has..
- Experts call for end to death penalty in Thailand
- Airship crash hurts four
Comments conditions
Users are solely responsible for their comments.We reserve the right to remove any comment and revoke posting rights for any reason withou prior notice.
Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2012/12/15/coalition-backs-referendum-on-charter-before-parliament-vote/
0 comments:
Post a Comment