Senate Debates constitution Amendment Request, Faces procedural Hurdle
A request to address constitutional amendment was debated at a Senate meeting on September 16th, presided over by Second Vice President Boon Song Noi Sophon. dr. Premsak Piyuras submitted a letter on September 12th urging the President of the Senate to include the matter on the agenda for September 15th, hoping for a discussion on the Senate’s position regarding amendment. As of the 16th, the issue had not been scheduled.
During the meeting, Senator Phisit Apiwattanapong raised a procedural concern. He referenced a previous Senate discussion on August 5th regarding constitutional provisions, stating that any motion with similar principles already debated under Senate Conference Regulation Article 51 cannot be re-presented in the same meeting unless the President deems circumstances have changed.Phisit argued the recent Constitutional Court decision did not alter the previous discussion or introduce new circumstances, even regarding the Court’s ruling against allowing Parliament to directly select members of the Constitution Drafting Council (Sor.). He believes this falls within the constitutional framework and shouldn’t be considered a new motion.
Boon Song Noi Sophon informed the assembly that the President of the Senate has referred the matter to the Remarkable Committee on Senate (Wiphawut Senate) for consideration on September 17th. He proposed deferring further discussion until the committee’s findings are available and subsequently moved to adjourn the meeting at 12:13 PM.