A special joint session of parliament will be held on Oct 14-15 to debate three proposed constitutional amendment bills, Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said.
These dates were the outcome of a joint meeting on Wednesday between himself, party whips, representatives from the cabinet, the Senate, and MPs from both the government and opposition parties.
The meeting agreed the three proposed constitutional amendments submitted by the People’s Party, the Pheu Thai Party, and the Bhumjaithai Party will be considered concurrently, though separate votes will be held during the first reading.
A 42-member special committee will be set up to study the bills further as they embark on the next stage of their journey.
The second and third readings will be handled according to the proportional representation of MPs and senators.
The total debate time has been allocated at 19 hours and 30 minutes, divided as follows: one hour for the session chair’s duties, five hours and 30 minutes for the Senate, three hours for the governing coalition parties, and 10 hours for opposition parties.
The debate sessions will be broadcast live over two days.
Voting is expected to take considerable time, as each of the 700 members must cast their vote individually, indicating whether they approve, disapprove, or approve all three bills.
Mr Wan added that during Wednesday’s tripartite whip discussion, no parties raised concerns about the content of the bills.
There was mutual agreement across all sides on moving forward with constitutional reform, with the goal of drafting a new constitution, Mr Wan said.
The process must adhere to the Constitutional Court’s ruling, which has already guided how amendments may be undertaken.
“The ruling outlines how the constitution can be amended, what methods are permissible, and how a Constitutional Drafting Assembly (CDA) may be formed,” Mr Wan said.
“Today, we have distributed the interpretation of the Constitutional Court’s ruling to all MPs and senators, so it may serve as the basis for their deliberations.”
He said the court had been consulted on various concerns, including the number of referendums necessary, procedures for amendments within the existing constitutional framework, and the scope of permissible changes.
Mr Wan said amending the constitution is a significant matter.
“It must undergo readings one, two, and three, and must meet the required vote thresholds in accordance with the established criteria,” he said.