Former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Friday called for a clear signal from Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha over charter amendments before the issue comes to the floor of Parliament next week.
The former Democrat Party leader said attempts to amend the constitution still needed a clear supporting signal from Gen Prayut to move it through Parliament.
“Frankly speaking, the charter amendment issue will go through Parliament if the prime minister gives it a push,” Mr Abhisit said. “The prime minister should send a clear signal.”
Parliament is scheduled to debate a first reading on Tuesday and Wednesday if six amendment bills and another version proposed by the civil group iLaw.
As lawmakers prepare for the debate, a group of senators and MPs from the Palang Pracharath Party have signed a motion asking Parliament to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on whether some of the bills are constitutional. They argued that Parliament has the authority only to amend the charter drafted in 2017 at the behest of the military junta, not to write a new one.
Their motion will be on the agenda after Wednesday, according to Parliament President Chuan Leekpai.
If lawmakers agree to seek guidance from the court, plans to amend the charter could be deferred. The amendment debate was earlier delayed for one month, further frustrating the youth-led protest movement that has been staging regular rallies calling for a new charter and the resignation of Gen Prayut.
The charter amendment bills will pave the way for rewriting a new constitution if it passes Parliament. Having a new charter is a demand made by anti-government protesters, while royalists have warned lawmakers not to touch on the sections related to the monarchy.
The constitution was drafted by writers handpicked by the junta after the 2014 coup and narrowly endorsed in a 2017 referendum in which any meaningful debate on its merits was suppressed. One of its controversial provisions is one that allows senators to vote for a prime minister alongside MPs. The 250 senators — including 101 generals plus a handful of siblings of prominent junta figures — were paraded to Parliament after the list was approved by Gen Prayut.
Mr Abhisit said the country needed a constitution in line with international norms. A clear stance by the prime minister on charter change will help ease political tensions, he added.