The President of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) insists that the referendum’s second question was not a deception to the public, adding that the powers of the new senate will be defined by Constitution Drafting Commission and the Constitutional Court.
The secondary question asks whether the public agrees with allowing the senate to take part in approving the nominee for Prime Minister in the first five years of the constitution’s promulgation.
NLA President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai argues that taking part in the approval process entails involvement throughout the entire selection process, not just the voting phase. Therefore, giving the senate powers beyond the voting phase would not be a distortion of the referendum question or a deception to the public.
He added, however, that the selection process must not conflict with the constitution’s requirement that a nominee must come from the list proposed by political parties. In addition, the final verdict on the Senate’s powers rests with the discretion of the Constitution Drafting Commission and the Constitutional Court.
