The National Legislative Assembly will meet on Thursday to consider proposed changes to the charter from the cabinet and the National Council for Peace and Order.
NLA chairman Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said the main item up for consideration was whether to use the majority of voters who turn out to this year’s referendum to determine whether the constitution was a success or failure.
The joint cabinet-NCPO meeting decided to use the majority of those who vote, rather than all those who are eligible, and that a change to the current interim constitution would be needed.
Section 37 of the interim charter stipulates that the draft must be endorsed by “the majority of eligible voters”, instead of “the majority of voters who cast ballots in the referendum” as written in previous charters.
There has been criticism that the rule would make it harder for the draft to pass at the referendum.
The cabinet and the NCPO also proposed that the minimum age for voting in the referendum be changed so those who are at least 18 years of age on the date of the referendum are eligible to vote.
The interim charter only says the minimum age of eligible voters is the same as that indicated in the last election and the last referendum in 2007. In that case voters had to be 18 at the start of the year.
The cabinet and the NCPO want the Constitution Drafting Committee to prepare a summary of the draft charter’s key points for distribution to the public to make it easy for them to understand.
The cabinet and the NCPO also proposed that the Election Commission announce the date for the referendum between 90 and 120 days of the CDC handing the final draft charter to the EC. Another change proposed to the interim charter is that the referendum on the draft constitution be held nationwide on one day only.
The cabinet and the NCPO also suggested that the NLA be allowed to propose an additional question to be included in the draft charter, on top of whether voters accept or reject the draft constitution.
NLA member Jetn Sirathranont said yesterday the assembly will have to study the final draft charter before it can decide whether any additional question should be included in the referendum. He said the NLA is trusted to offer useful suggestions for the good of the country.