Chartthaipattana Party (CTP) director Nikorn Chamnong yesterday suggested an extraordinary parliamentary session be held in mid-November to accelerate the deliberation of charter amendment bills to guarantee that a charter rewrite referendum can take place alongside the next general election.
Mr Nikorn, a former secretary to the House committee on the referendum bill, said the three charter amendments are set for the first reading on Oct 14-15, but time constraints could make it impossible to hold a charter referendum along with the general election as planned by the government.
If parliament passes the charter amendment bills in its first reading on Oct 15, a House committee would likely spend until Dec 12 reviewing the bills, with the second reading possible on Dec 17. A 15-day gap is required before the third reading, likely placing final approval toward the end of December.
The election of MPs law requires that a general election be held within 45 to 60 days after a House dissolution. If the House is dissolved on Jan 31 next year, the snap poll would fall around March 29.
Under the existing referendum law, a referendum must be announced at least 90 days before it is held, making it impossible to hold a charter referendum and a general election on the same day.
Although the amended version reduces that window to 60 days and allows concurrent voting, the bill has yet to come into force.
Mr Nikorn suggested that an extraordinary parliamentary session be held in mid-November to accelerate the second reading, while the third could take place once the next session begins. This would allow sufficient time for a referendum to coincide with the general election in March 2026, he said.
He also warned that the charter amendment bill proposed by the People’s Party (PP) could face legal obstacles as it calls for a 100-member constitution drafting assembly (CDA) elected directly by the public.
According to Mr Nikorn, the direct election of charter drafters is deemed to contradict the Constitutional Court’s latest ruling that charter drafters cannot be directly elected.
Asked whether the timeline might require delaying the planned House dissolution, Mr Nikorn said if those factors are not addressed, the House dissolution timeline may be affected.