BANGKOK, July 15- Most poll respondents agreed with the court verdict, after the Constitution Court on Friday ruled that amending the constitution is lawful and constitutional, rejecting a petition opposing the government’s attempt to amend the charter, according to a Suan Dusit poll released on Sunday.
Suan Dusit Rajabhat University conducted an opinion poll among 1,262 people in 14 major provinces on July 13-14 regarding Friday’s Constitution Court ruling on the constitutionality of charter amendment bill.
According to the poll, a majority of respondents, or some 81 per cent, agreed with the court ruling because the verdict helped creating a better political atmosphere and did not result in any violence or turmoil as earlier projected by several parties in society.
Meanwhile, a minority of those polled disagreed with it, saying that some parts of the ruling were not clear.
Approximately 62 per cent of those surveyed felt relieved that no disturbances occurred, adding that the ruling helped improve the current political situation and ease other post-verdict situations previously worried about by the public.
In a related issue, nearly half of respondents, or about 45.91 per cent, voiced that the constitutional amendment process should be temporarily suspended as they did not want to see the country turn disorderly and lack peace.
A large percentage also reasoned that there were many urgent problems – particularly flood prevention, economic problems and public hardship – which the government should focus on seeking solutions, explaining these were the government’s major responsibility and mission.
However, some 35 per cent pointed out that the charter rewrite process should continue.
Regarding the post-verdict political atmosphere, more than half of those polled, or about 64.15 per cent, thought that conflicts, rows and political games would remain.
Meanwhile, about 16 per cent hoped that the political situation would ease, that politicians would perform their duties to the best of their ability and that groups of political demonstrators would stay calm.
On July 13, the eight-judge bench of the Constitution Court voted unanimously that there was insufficient grounds to support the complainants regarding claims of alleged attempts to overthrow Thailand’s constitutional monarchy. The court therefore rejected the petition.
