BANGKOK, April 17 – The caretaker Cabinet will be asked to go ahead with the opening of a Senate session next Thursday to debate pending issues, a senior senator said today.
Deputy Senate Speaker Surachai Liangbunlertchai, concurrently acting Senate Speaker, said the Senate will seek a royal command to open an extraordinary session on Thursday if the caretaker Cabinet has no objection to the move.
He was optimistic that the government and Senate would reach an agreement on the opening of the session without having to ask for a Constitutional Court ruling.
He said three major issues pending Senate debate include the removal of Deputy Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanich, the appointment of new members to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and the appointment of honorary members to the Administrative Court.
The three issues are in the process of regular deliberation without being pushed to speed up debate and without a hidden agenda, he said.
He said the widely-debated issue of the appointment of a new prime minister under the stipulation of Section 7 of the Constitution will definitely not be included in the Senate agenda.
The government and the Senate are involved in a tug-of-war on the opening of the Senate’s extraordinary session. The government is in charge of seeking a royal command on the matter.
