The junta-appointed senate should have the right to propose Prime Ministerial candidates, said a spokesman for the junta’s lawmakers. 

 

On Tuesday, 23 August 2016, Jet Siratharanon, the spokesperson for the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the junta’s lawmakers, revealed that the NLA have a unanimous stance on the issue of the controversial additional question, which was passed the 7 August referendum with a landslide. The lawmakers suggested the 250 junta-appointed senators should have the right to propose Prime Ministerial candidates under the junta-sponsored draft charter, Matichon Online reported.

 

This is despite the fact that the additional question only mentions the senate's right to approve Prime Ministerial candidates. The question was worded as ‘Do you or do you not agree that for the sake of continuing national reform in pursuance of the strategic plan, that it is appropriate to specify as a transitional measure that for the first five years from the convening of the first parliament under this constitution, the prime minister shall be approved by joint session of parliament?’ 

 

Jet clarified, however, that the senate’s right to propose will only be activated if the House of Representatives cannot reach a consensus, with more than 375 approval votes out of 500, on who should be an elected Prime Minister. 

 

According to Matichon Online, the spokesman added further that the NLA will send this recommendation to the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), which is responsible for amending the draft to fit the additional question. After the re-drafting finishes, the new draft will be handed to the Constitutional Court for final approval, in front of which the NLA has stated it is willing to clarify its stance. 

 

Apart from the NLA, various members of the junta’s National Reform Steering Assembly have also agreed with giving the appointed senate a right to propose Prime Ministerial candidates.