Pheu Thai Party will submit its constitutional amendment bill to the House Speaker on June 4, proposing the establishment of a 100-member Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) elected by the public, according to Pheu Thai list-MP and deputy leader Chousak Sirinil.
Mr Chousak, who is leading the effort to amend Section 256 of the constitution, said the bill has secured the backing of 189 MPs, exceeding the requirement for support from at least one-fifth of the House.
The signatories include 72 Pheu Thai MPs, 30 from the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT), 36 from the People's Party (PP), 26 from the Klatham Party, 18 from the Democrat Party, five from the Prachachat Party and two from the United Thai Nation Party.
Under the proposal, voters would first elect 300 candidates at the provincial level, from whom parliament would select 100 CDA members. Another 52 experts from sectors including government agencies, the judiciary, local administration, academia, civil society, business and professional organisations would take part in the drafting process.
The bill also proposes the creation of a Constitution Drafting Committee, comprising CDA members and experts, and a Public Participation Committee to gather public input, comprising representatives from the CDA and media organisations.
Once a draft constitution is completed, it will be submitted to parliament for consideration. While lawmakers could propose amendments, overriding a CDA rejection of any changes would require a two-thirds parliamentary majority. Final approval of the constitution would require a majority vote in parliament.
The proposal stipulates that the CDA must preserve Thailand's status as a unitary state and its democratic system with the King as head of state, while upholding the rule of law, equality, checks and balances, and decentralisation.
Mr Chousak said he was confident the bill, along with other constitutional amendment proposals, would advance to the committee stage.
"While there are still some differences from previous proposals, these can be resolved through discussion and mutual understanding," he said.
Meanwhile, People's Party deputy leader and list-MP Parit Wacharasindhu urged MPs to support all constitutional amendment bills in the first reading and leave disagreements over details to the committee stage.
Mr Parit said five or six amendment bills were expected to be submitted ahead of a joint parliamentary session tentatively scheduled for July 7-8.
