HUA HIN — A vote required to overrule the constitutional requirement that a PM must come from political parties' lists is two thirds of all votes in both houses, not three fifths announced on Thursday, said Meechai Ruchupan, chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee.
"Newspaper headlines this morning shocked me as the vote has always been two thirds. It's my own mistake. I must have typed the wrong numbers as we discussed both at the meetings. But actually we agreed on two thirds and there was no change to it. I apologise for the mistake," he said.
The CDC is retreating to this resort town of Prachuap Khiri Khan to review the text of new constitition. Although no major changes are expected at this stage, a few were announced on Thursday about the sources of senators and prime ministers.
In its original version of the draft constitution, the CDC requires a PM come from a three-candidate list submitted by each political party. These candidates may or may not be MPs. It reasoned with this rule, parties could not propose someone else without prior knowledge of voters.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) wanted to do away with this three-candidate rule, reasoning the restriction might lead to problems and conflicts during the delicate transitional period. It wants anyone, MP or non-MP, to be a PM candidate, without having to seek a nod from political parties.
The CDC came up with a compromise on Tuesday by adding a clause that will exempt the three-candidate rule by a vote of two thirds of both chambers (at least 500 of 750 votes).
But on Thursday, the CDC changed its tune, saying a vote of three fifths was required for this (at least 450 of 750 votes).
This change, coupled with the requirement that all 250 senators be picked by the NCPO, has prompted speculation the writers might have been pressured into easing the rule to make it easier to get an outsider prime minister.
But Mr Meechai on Friday assured the changes were not to help the junta extend its power.
"This is not an effort to extend power. Senators won't be allowed to vote on a PM anyway. Only MPs can do so. If both houses agreed to exempt the three-candidate rule, the issue of choosing a PM will be sent to the House to proceed. It has nothing to do with the senators."
He also assured the CDC was not taking orders from the NCPO.
"We have taken orders from several people who told us to change this or that in the draft, but we've never taken any from the NCPO," he said.