The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) has brushed aside a National Legislative Assembly (NLA) proposal to allow the appointed Senate to take part in a process to nominate a prime minister under the draft charter, and decided to keep the power to nominate a prime minister exclusively in the hands of MPs.
The CDC has decided the Upper House will be able to join MPs in selecting a prime minister, but it cannot nominate a prime minister, CDC spokesman Norachit Sinhaseni said after a meeting on Wednesday.
Previously, several NLA members came up with a controversial proposal that the Senate be allowed to join MPs in nominating a prime minister from outside the parties' lists if a joint House-Senate session fails to vote for a prime ministerial candidate from the parties' lists.
He said the CDC has decided to amend only Section 272, which is a provisional clause of the draft charter.
The CDC has amended the section in line with the extra question which was approved along with the draft charter in the Aug 7 referendum, Mr Norachit said.
The amendment only allows the Senate to join MPs in selecting a prime minister during the first five years after the new constitution is enacted.
Only parties have the right to nominate prime ministerial candidates in the lists they submit to the Election Commission before the election, and only parties which win more than 5% of the total 500 House seats can submit such lists, Mr Norachit said.
He added the CDC has decided to stand by the original principle of the draft charter that if a joint House-Senate session fails to select a prime minister, the House of Representatives will decide to propose a motion to convene a joint House-Senate session to consider whether to waive the party candidate nomination rule.
This will allow for the process to nominate and vote for a prime minister outside the parties' lists, he said.
At this stage, the appointed Senate has no right to nominate a prime minister, but can join MPs in voting to select a prime minister, Mr Norachit said.
Udom Rathamarit, another CDC spokesman, said the CDC has revised the draft charter in line with the voters' intentions in the referendum.
The CDC has agreed the extra question is intended for parliament, which comprises the House and the Senate, to approve a choice of a prime minister candidate, while the CDC has stood by Sections 88 and 159 of the draft charter which allow only MPs to nominate a prime minister, Mr Udom said.
Later Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam commented, saying the cabinet and the regime had never discussed whether the NLA can nominate a prime ministerial candidate.
Mr Wissanu also revealed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was not interested in who will nominate a candidate for prime minister.
He only stressed the need for a prime ministerial candidate to uphold moral integrity, Mr Wissanu said.
