The Pheu Thai Party (PTP) is seeking to reduce the size of the majority required to pass a referendum on the constitution.
Prayut Siripanich, an MP of the ruling party and a deputy chairman of the joint House-Senate committee considering the referendum bill, said the committee will meet on Wednesday to hash out differences on the so-called double majority rule between the two chambers.
The referendum bill, which has been endorsed by the House, contains changes to the double-majority rule to make it easier for referendums to pass.
However, when the bill reached the Senate, the Upper House decided to revert to the original requirements. This means that for a referendum result to be valid, at least half of all eligible voters must cast their votes, and a winning vote outcome must be supported by at least half of the voter turnout.
On Oct 9, the House voted 348 to zero to reject the Senate's push to reinstate the double majority rule. In the wake of that decision, the joint House-Senate committee was formed to iron out differences between the two Houses.
If they cannot reach an agreement, the referendum bill will be suspended for 180 days. After that, if the House stands its ground on a simple majority requirement, the bill can pass.
Mr Prayut said on Sunday he will ask the committee on Wednesday to consider reducing the size of the majority required for a referendum to pass, from half of the number of eligible voters to about 20–30%.
"The requirement of at least 50% of the number is too much, particularly when it comes to issues which attract little interest from the voters. The threshold should be lowered to about 20–30%," Mr Prayut said.
Prayut: Common ground needed
When asked if his proposal will face resistance from senators on the committee, he said committee members will have to find common ground and move on.
Mr Prayut declined to comment on whether Pheu Thai's charter rewrite bid could be delayed if the referendum bill is suspended for 180 days, saying the details should become clear after Wednesday's meeting.
Pheu Thai had previously indicated that it has not ruled out the possibility of delaying the charter amendment until the next election, as long as certain compromises can be agreed upon.
Nikorn Chamnong, secretary of the joint House-Senate panel on the charter referendum bill, also said last week it was becoming more and more likely that the amendment may not be completed before the next general election in 2027.
In response to Mr Nikorn's remarks, Prime Minister's Office Minister Chousak Sirinil, who is also the party's chief legal expert, said there are three possible ways to pass the revised constitution -- by waiting 180 days for parliamentarians to settle their differences; by agreeing on a compromise that would allow the process to continue without delay; or by using the original referendum requirement to pass the amendment.
Meanwhile, Akkaradet Wongpitakrote, a spokesman for the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party, said the party is opposed to a fresh proposal by Pheu Thai to speed up the constitutional amendment process by lowering the number of referendums on the charter from three to two.
Under the government's current plan, a referendum will be held to ask voters if they agree with the push to write a new charter. If the majority of voters agree, a second will be held to ask the public if Section 256 should be amended to allow for the drafting of a new charter.
Once a new constitution has been produced, the government will hold a third vote to ask voters whether or not the changes to the constitution should be adopted.
