The amended referendum bill should become law by November, with the first of three referendums on the proposed rewrite of the 2017 constitution held around February, Nikorn Chamnong, secretary to the special House panel on the bill, said on Thursday.
The tentative timeline was approved during the committee's first meeting on Wednesday, he said.
The panel's task of reviewing the bill, which has passed its first reading, is expected to finish by late August, before the draft law, which contains amendments to nine sections of the Referendum Act 2021, enters its second and third readings, he said.
Also at Wednesday's meeting, the panel resolved to appoint Wutthisarn Tanchai, secretary-general of King Prajadhipok's Institute, as panel chair, said Mr Nikorn.
Chaikasem Nitisiri, an adviser to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, was appointed as the first deputy chairman of the referendum bill-vetting committee. Two other deputies were also named.
In another development, Parit Wacharasindhu, a list-MP and spokesman for the main opposition Move Forward Party (MFP), on Thursday submitted an urgent motion to House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha seeking a parliamentary resolution to change a referendum question approved by the cabinet on April 23.
The question is whether or not people agree with a proposal to rewrite the constitution without amending Chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1 defines Thailand as a single, indivisible kingdom with a democratic regime and the King as head of state, while Chapter 2 stipulates sections about royal prerogatives.
The MFP disagrees with the cabinet-approved referendum question for three reasons and wants the "without amending Chapters 1 and 2" part dropped, according to Mr Parit.
First, those who only agree that the constitution should be rewritten but could not agree with the attached condition of leaving the chapters untouched might be left in limbo, he said.
Second, in the event any amendments require a change to either chapter, the amendments will not happen if either or both chapters are strictly protected from changes, he added.
And third, if the constitution cannot be amended to the satisfaction of all sides, the main purpose of rewriting the charter -- to defuse conflicts among people with different political views -- will be defeated, he said.
