The referendum bill is expected to sail through the third reading in parliament, said Senator Wanchai Sornsiri, spokesman of a parliamentary committee vetting the bill.
The committee on Thursday met to discuss changes made to Sections 10 and 11 of the bill by the Council of State, the government's legal advisory body. The meeting was still going as the Bangkok Post went to press.
However, the committee will meet again today for a final review of the bill before forwarding it to Parliament President Chuan Leekpai so he can put the matter on parliament's agenda for a meeting on April 7–8.
Mr Wanchai said committee members have shared the aim of pushing the bill through parliament as they are working together to clear any hurdles to its passage.
Speaking before Thursday's meeting, he said if the majority of committee members approved the changes made by the Council of State, the bill's passage in the third reading should be plain-sailing.
He also said the changes made by the Council of State were in line with the constitution, so he believes no one would petition the Constitutional Court to rule on the bill's legality.
If anyone decides to do so, the public would consider their action to be an attempt to delay the charter amendment process, Mr Wanchai said.
However, he said the changes made by the council still allow the cabinet a final say on whether a referendum should be held regardless of whether a proposal for a referendum is put forward by parliament or by a sign-up campaign launched by the public.
"It would not be necessary for the cabinet to act on the proposal," he said.
A source at parliament said Section 11 of the bill stipulates that when parliament proposes a motion for a referendum to be held or the public launches a sign-up campaign for a referendum to be held, the parliament president must forward the matter to the cabinet.
If the cabinet decides there are justifications for a referendum to be held, the prime minister will then declare in the Royal Gazette the date for a referendum as agreed upon by the Election Commission.
There has been concern that the referendum bill, now at the second reading stage, may not see the light of day.
That is because the changes made to Section 9 of the bill are feared to be unconstitutional, since the constitution stipulates that only the cabinet can initiate a referendum.
The changes put forth by the opposition and approved by the panel, however, authorise MPs and the public to initiate a referendum campaign.
