Deputy Prime Minister Borwornsak Uwanno has proposed a timeline that would result in Thailand’s general election being held on March 29, 2026, along with a constitutional referendum.
He said both votes could be held together to save costs and comply with the four-month political roadmap outlined in the agreement between the coalition-leading Bhumjaithai Party and the opposition People’s Party.
Mr Borwornsak made the comments during an address to parliament on Wednesday, when MPs and senators voted to approve in principle two of three proposed constitutional amendment bills.
The bills seek to revise Section 256 of the existing military-drafted constitution of 2017 to pave the way for the establishment of a Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) tasked with writing a new charter.
The Bhumjaithai bill won the most support, with 629 votes in favour, including 167 senators, comfortably exceeding the required threshold of one-third of the 200-member upper house, or 67 senators.
A bill drawn up by the People’s Party also passed first reading, receiving 568 votes in favour, including 108 senators voting in support.
However, the Pheu Thai Party’s version failed to clear the Senate hurdle, gaining 521 votes in total, with only 60 senators in support – seven votes short of the one-third requirement – causing the bill to be rejected.
Under parliamentary rules, at least 67 Senate votes must back any constitutional amendment for it to advance to the next stage.
Before the vote was called, the joint parliamentary session deliberated three consolidated charter amendment drafts put forth by the People’s Party, Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai.
Mr Borwornsak, the government’s legal expert and a veteran constitution drafter, told the session that the new Section 15/1 amendment empowers parliament to draft a new constitution.
However, the referendum process must legally proceed through the prime minister and the Election Commission (EC), which will determine the polling date and wording of the referendum question.
Under the agreement struck between Bhumjaithai and the People’s Party in exchange for the latter’s support for Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister, Mr Anutin must dissolve the House within four months of the government’s policy statement on Oct 1.
This means dissolution would occur by Jan 31, with the general election held 45-60 days later – making March 29 the most suitable date, according to Mr Borwornsak.
The Referendum Act requires at least 90 to 120 days between the announcement of the referendum and the vote. Therefore, if the government aims to hold both the referendum and election on March 29, the prime minister and the Election Commission must declare the referendum by Dec 30.
Mr Borwornsak noted that holding the referendum separately would cost about 6 billion baht, so combining it with the general election would be more efficient.