The Bhumjaithai Party did not join a House vote to reject the Senate’s decision to retain the double-majority clause in the constitutional referendum bill for the sake of being thorough, said party leader, Anutin Charnvirakul.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 348 to zero to reject the Senate’s changes to the referendum bill, with 65 abstentions.
The bill previously endorsed by the House included a change that would make it easier for referendums to pass. It stated that a result would be valid if at least 50% of those casting votes approved it.
However, when the bill reached the Senate, the Upper House decided to restore the original double-majority requirement. For a referendum result to be valid, at least half of eligible voters must cast votes, and the result must be supported by at least half of the voter turnout.
When the bill was returned to the House and the second-largest coalition partner abstained, some thought Bhumjaithai was defying a government consensus to scrap the double-majority requirement.
Prior to Wednesday’s vote, the ruling Pheu Thai Party and the main opposition People’s Party affirmed the Lower House’s resolution to switch to the simple majority rule. They pointed to the risk of a constitutional rewrite being delayed if the double-majority rule went unamended.
Mr Anutin, also deputy prime minister and interior minister, insisted Bhumjaithai voted to abstain to allow the bill to be thoroughly considered.
“It all has to do with ensuring referendums are credible and worthy of voters’ trust,” he said.
He said Bhumjaithai was open to hearing opinions from the Senate and related parties, but he added that improving the referendum process needs to be done carefully.
“A referendum is a critical issue, and it is crucial for setting the country’s direction. It shouldn’t be rushed,” Mr Anutin said.
In the wake of Wednesday’s House vote, a joint MP-Senator committee is being formed to resolve differences in the bill.
The 28 seats on the panel will be equally split between the two Houses, and the Senate is scheduled to name its committee members on Oct 15.
During Wednesday’s debate before the vote, People’s Party MP Parit Wacharasindhu said he feared the double-majority rule would encourage people in the wrong way.
He explained that voters seeking to sink a referendum would simply stay home, meaning the double-majority rule would fall short.
“This is not about increasing the ease of passing a referendum. But the rules should not permit one side to gain undue advantage by campaigning for a referendum no-show,” Mr Parit said.
But Mallika Jirapan, a Bhumjaithai MP from Lop Buri, said the double-majority rule approved by the Senate was similar to that proposed in Bhumjaithai’s version of the bill.
The new Senate is packed with senators believed to have links to Bhumjaithai. Mr Anutin’s party was the only one that figured out how to successfully game the Byzantine voting system put in place by the Election Commission.
As a result, a record 14 senators come from the party’s stronghold of Buri Ram, and dozens of others from provinces where it is well represented in the Lower House.
The “blue” bloc, a reference to Bhumjaithai, is said to contain at least 150 of the 200 senators.
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