The two questions voters will be asked at a referendum currently scheduled for Aug 7 are:
- Do you endorse the draft charter presented by the Constitution Drafting Committee?
- Do you agree to let unelected senators to join MPs in choosing a prime minister after the first parliament is formed under this charter?
The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday voted 171-1 to pass the referendum bill in the third reading, with three abstentions.
Under the 66-section law, people will be allowed to express and disseminate opinions on the draft constitution in limited forum - "honestly and in compliance with laws" but may not campaign for the endorsement or rejection of the draft.
The bill imposes a jail sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to 200,000 baht for those who disrupt the referendum, including "spreading messages and pictures in newspapers, radio, television and electronic media or other channels".
Electronic voting drafted by the EC was cut. The bill passed by the military-appointed NLA orders the EC to be non-partisan while the CDC — despite restrictions on all other citizens — is "responsible for explaining the key points of the charter".
- Earlier report: PM vote for senators most likely 'The Question'
Following the referendum bill, the debate began on what addition question should be asked of voters.
The NLA voted 152-0 with 15 abstentions on the question: "Do you agree that, for national reform continuity in line with the national strategy, it should be prescribed in provisional clauses that in the first five years from the parliament is formed under this charter, a joint meeting of Parliament shall consider an appropriate person to be prime minister?"
In constitutional jargon, a "joint meeting of Parliament" refers to a meeting between the Senate and the House.
The resolution will be sent to the EC for further action.
The National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) was the one to propose the question and the NLA agreed with it. Both bodies have claimed the mechanism was necessary during the transition to ensure politics remains stable and national reform is on course.
But critics slammed the idea as undemocratic since the first batch of 250 senators after the election will be handpicked by the junta. Even if a party controls a majority vote in the House (251 votes or more), it still needs the Senate's blessing to get the prime minister of its own choosing.
