Jate said that he, plus NLA vice president Surachai Liengboonlertchai, and Somchai Sawangkarn would meet with charter drafters on Friday to discuss the Senate’s power during the “transition period” after the next election.

The national referendum on August 7 approved the NLA’s proposal that junta-selected legislators join elected MPs in choosing a prime minister for the first five years after the charter comes into effect.

The Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) is required by law to adjust the charter draft accordingly.

Jate said he and his colleagues would explain the literal meaning of the extra question to the CDC in the planned meeting. He vowed to never interpret it in a broader manner than what the NLA told voters before the referendum.

When the drafters were still working on the charter early this year, the National Council for Peace and Order recommended that the CDC allow it to select 250 senators and said they should also have power to lead a no-confidence motion against the government.

But the drafters only agreed that the junta could select the Senate. The right to launch a no-confidence motion was reserved solely for MPs.

The drafters have until October 10 to adjust the charter draft before seeking approval from the Constitutional Court.

Pattara Kampitak, a CDC member, said the drafters had yet to resolve which articles would be adjusted to serve the referendum result. But he said they could involve stipulations on the Senate’s responsibilities and the origin of the prime minister.

He said the CDC would listen to the NLA’s explanation first on Friday and then try to amend the charter draft in line with the original intention.