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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40019015

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has made it clear that he would not dissolve the House of Representatives and would spend his remaining days in office serving the people, the government spokesman said on Wednesday.

Prayut himself would not talk to reporters who tried to approach him for comments after the Election Commission issued a directive on Monday prohibiting the Cabinet from using state resources and personnel for electoral advantage after the House is dissolved or during the run-up to an election.

The directive also prohibits the Cabinet from holding mobile meetings or ordering or holding seminars of state officials with money from the government or state enterprises’ coffers during the run-up to the election.

When Prayut exited a meeting on Wednesday morning, reporters tried to ask him about the EC issuing regulations on a caretaker Cabinet. Prayut did not reply to questions and walked upstairs with a stern look on his face.

Later Government Spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana quoted Prayut as insisting that he would not dissolve the House.

When asked why the EC had issued the directive, Thanakorn said the government could not answer on behalf of the EC.

“But the EC definitely does not make preparations for a political accident. The EC may just make routine preparations,” Thanakorn said.

Asked again whether the EC directive was related to the petitions seeking a Constitutional Court ruling on whether Prayut would reach his eight-year tenure limit as PM on August 23, Thanakorn said it might be that case.

A political activist and the opposition Pheu Thai Party have called on the Constitutional Court to rule that Prayut’s term should be counted on the day he became prime minister of the interim government after the May 2014 coup and his tenure should expire on August 23.

Thanakorn said the EC directive was not a signal of House dissolution.

“The prime minister insisted there would be no House dissolution and he would spend the rest of his office days to work for the people,” Thanakorn said.

The spokesman said Prayut did not pay attention to political analyses in the media predicting he would dissolve the House to pre-empt a ruling by the Constitutional Court.

Published : August 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40019014

The Democrat Party, a ruling coalition partner, on Wednesday welcomed former Palang Pracharath Party MP Watanya Bunnag as its member, praising her for being a conscientious lawmaker.

Watanya, better known as “Madame Dear”, quit the ruling Palang Pracharath Party and gave up her House seat as she was upset over the lack of quorum in Parliament.

The organic law on MP elections lapsed as it failed to meet the 180-day deadline on Monday due to a lack of quorum in Parliament.

Democrat party-list MP Panit Wikitset praised Watanya’s decision, saying that it reflects her bravery and responsibility to the public.

He said Parliament had witnessed a lack of quorum 18 times over the past three years. He said all MPs should be ashamed and take responsibility for the situation

He added that MPs should perform duties with fairness, not play political games outside Parliament.

Panit also praised Watanya for her courage to work for the public without following anyone’s political game. He added that Watanya is a good MP who should remain in Parliament.

“I had a chance to exchange opinions with Watanya about the new generation of politicians many times,” he said, adding that Watanya had also consulted him on guidelines to develop a new generation of politicians.

He added that the Democrat Party was pleased to welcome Watanya as a party member.

Published : August 17, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40018969

The Ombudsman’s Office says it will decide before next Tuesday (August 23) whether to pass a petition on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s term limit to the Constitutional Court.

The petition, submitted by political activist Srisuwan Janya, insists that Prayut’s term ends on August 23 when he will have served the maximum eight years as stipulated in the Constitution.

Srisuwan on August 5 submitted two separate petitions to the Ombudsman and the Election Commission (EC), urging them to seek a Constitutional Court ruling on Prayut’s tenure.

The petitions say that Prayut’s term should be counted from when he first became prime minister after the coup he led in May 2014.

However, a House of Representatives legal team argues that Prayut’s tenure technically started on June 9, 2019 when he was appointed as prime minister by royal command under the 2017 charter. Hence, Prayut’s term will expire in 2027, said the panel.

Keirov Kritteranon, secretary-general of the Ombudsman’s Office, said it would be able to decide without seeking information from any other agency as the petition concerned legal technicalities and interpretations of the charter.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the Ombudsman had no direct authority to consider the issue as that power belonged to the EC.

However, Article 231 of the Constitution states that the Ombudsman may seek an interpretation from the Constitutional Court on any matter concerning disputes over the charter.

Published : August 16, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40018954

MP Watanya Bunnag, better known as “Madame Dear”, quit the ruling Palang Pracharath Party on Monday and gave up her House seat due to dissatisfaction over lack of quorum in Parliament.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, she said she chose to resign after the organic law on MP elections lapsed as it failed to meet the 180-day deadline on Monday due to a lack of quorum in Parliament.

The bill would have changed the way party-list MPs are chosen and given small parties a better chance at winning seats. However, opposition leader Pheu Thai claimed this amendment was unfair and dug its heels in, refusing to let Parliament achieve a quorum to vote the bill in.

In her goodbye speech, she thanked Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also the party leader, and other party MPs for their kindness.

She said she joined Palang Pracharath because she wanted to see Thailand overcome conflicts.

“The country’s development has been slow over the past 10 years due to political instability,” she said.

She also said that people now have the authority to determine the country’s political situation, especially since elections are being held in Thailand again.

“Even though the regulations have changed, I still have faith that democracy will finally create equality in society,” Watanya said.

She added that in her three years as MP, she found that many parties used the Parliament to promote their ideology and work towards assisting the public.

However, she said, the lack of quorum in Parliament on Monday also proves that elected MPs cannot fulfil people’s expectations.

“A difference in ideology is common in democracy, and it is a good point as it allows all parties to propose their ideas to seek the best outcome for the country,” she said.

“However, I still adhere to the principle of integrity by using the Parliament to find a solution.”

She added that she accepted all comments in order to further improve her work.

Published : August 16, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40018910

The organic law on MP elections lapsed as it failed to meet the 180-day deadline on Monday due to a lack of quorum in Parliament yet again.

Parliament President Chuan Leekpai, who is also House speaker, called a special meeting on Monday for the second and third reading in a last-ditch effort to save the vetted bill. This was after Parliament failed to achieve a quorum for the bill’s reading last Wednesday.

About an hour after the meeting started on Monday morning, some 365 parliamentarians recorded their attendance, reaching the quorum of 364. There were 165 senators and 200 MPs in the chamber.

When opening the meeting, Chuan reminded lawmakers that the joint sitting had collapsed due to a lack of quorum last week. He then checked the quorum again for passing Section 24/1 of the bill in the second reading.

After waiting half an hour for lawmakers to confirm their attendance before votes could be cast, Chuan reminded them not to blame one another and that a walkout or boycott is the right of each parliamentarian.

While waiting for the quorum to be met, Pheu Thai MP Julaphan Amornvwiwat urged Chuan to declare the meeting collapsed as a lack of quorum was imminent.

Several senators, meanwhile, called on Chuan to make a roll call to check the quorum, a suggestion he rejected.

Eventually, Chuan declared the meeting collapsed.

The main opposition Pheu Thai Party announced on Sunday that it would boycott the meeting because it does not want this “unconstitutional” bill to be passed.

The Constitution’s Article Section 132(1) requires a bill to be passed within 180 days and the deadline for this bill was on Monday.

With this version lapsing, the original version of the bill that was drafted by the Election Commission and sponsored by the Cabinet will be sent back to Parliament for reaffirmation after five days.

The bone of contention in this bill is the way party-list House seats will be calculated. The original bill proposed that the number of all party-list MP votes be divided by 100 for the allocation of MP seats.

However, while vetting the bill, the coalition and senators flexed their majority muscle and changed the divisor to 500, which covers both constituency and party-list MPs.

Micro-parties prefer the 500 divisor because it will ensure they win at least one House seat. However, large parties, especially the opposition leader Pheu Thai, prefer the 100 divisor because it will help them win a larger share of party-list House seats.

Pheu Thai claims the 500 divisor was introduced to prevent it from winning a landslide victory in the next election, which will be held once the government completes its four-year tenure in March 2023.

Published : August 15, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40018906

The opposition Pheu Thai Party will petition the Constitutional Court on Wednesday to rule on whether it is legal for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to stay in power after August 24.

The party had previously threatened to call on the court to issue a verdict stipulating that Prayut’s term would end on August 24, as that is the day he will have reached his eight-year constitutional limit.

Pheu Thai spokeswoman Theerarat Samretwanich said on Sunday that the party is checking all details to ensure the petition covers all aspects.

She believes Prayut’s term will end before August 24 if the court interprets the law fairly. She also called on the general public to monitor the process and see if the court interprets the law fairly.

“If the court is fair, then we are confident that Prayut’s premiership will end before August 24,” she said.

She added that the party will use this method to repel Prayut as soon as possible, as Thailand has only been moving in circles over the past eight years.

Theerarat also pointed out that Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also Palang Pracharath Party leader, is not eligible to become Prayut’s successor under the Constitution.

She said that those who are eligible to take over after Prayut are Chaikasem Nitisiri, Chadchart Sittipunt and Sudarat Keyuraphan from the opposition or Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Democrat Party’s Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Published : August 15, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40018891

The main opposition Pheu Thai party has vowed to boycott Parliament on Monday in a bid to kill a draft bill that would change the party-list MP calculation method.

Pheu Thai spokeswoman Theerarat Samretwanich told a press conference on Sunday that her party’s MPs would not join the meeting to vote on the bill, which it deems unconstitutional.

House Speaker and Parliament President Chuan Leekpai called a special meeting of MPs and senators on Monday to try to save the election bill.

Last Wednesday’s vote on the bill’s second reading collapsed after the meeting failed to reach a quorum, raising concerns that it would not be approved by Parliament before the 180-day deadline, which falls on Monday.

The bill is required to effect an amendment of the Constitution that changes the single-ballot system to a dual-ballot election system – one vote for constituency MPs and another for party-list MPs.

The bone of contention in the bill concerns the method used to calculate the number of party-list MPs. The original draft proposed dividing the party-list votes by 100, but an ad hoc House-Senate committee then changed that figure to 500. The “500” calculation method would favour smaller parties at the expense of larger parties.

Pheu Thai sees the change as a move designed to prevent it from winning a landslide victory in the next general election, which must be called by March at the latest.

Pheu Thai MPs staged a walkout on Wednesday to derail the bill’s passage.

Theerarat noted that the amended Article 91 of the charter states that “the number of party-list MPs of each political party must be allocated in proportion to the overall number of party-list votes. “As a result, the number of party-list seats must be divided by 100,” the spokeswoman said.

“Pheu Thai MPs unanimously agree that they will not allow themselves to be part of the quorum for the meeting on August 15,” Theerarat said.

However, if government coalition MPs and senators manage to form a quorum for Wednesday’s session, Pheu Thai MPs would return to the meeting to debate against the new version, Theerarat said.

She said Pheu Thai MPs would turn out in full force to debate against the use of 500 as the divider and would then stage a walkout.

“Pheu Thai affirms that it won’t join the assembly to enact a bill that could violate the charter,” Theerarat said.

She argued that boycotts were allowed by the Constitution to prevent a distorted bill from clearing Parliament. “This is our duty as representatives of the people,” she added.

Speaking at the same press conference, Noppadon Pattama, deputy chairman of Pheu Thai’s strategy committee, said using 500 as the divider would clearly violate the charter’s amended Article 91.

He said the coalition was focused on who would stand to gain from the 100-divider method instead of acknowledging that the 500-divider would violate the charter.

“Our direction is clear: Pheu Thai will not support the 500-divider formula, because it violates the charter,” he insisted.

If the bill fails to pass on Monday, it will revert to the original version featuring the 100 method before being sent to the prime minister for enactment after royal approval.

Published : August 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40018881

Most people do not believe in speculation of a secret deal in Parliament to change the party-list MP calculation method and to ensure Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan becomes the next prime minister, a recent survey shows.

The nationwide survey was conducted on August 10-11 by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) among 1,312 respondents aged 18 and over from different backgrounds.

Asked if there was a secret deal between Palang Pracharath and Pheu Thai to change the party-list MP calculation method:

– 40.32% said no

– 21.80% said probably not

– 17.91% said probably yes

– 9.38% said yes

Asked if there was a secret deal between two political parties to ensure Palang Pracharat leader Prawit becomes the next prime minister:

– 59.76% said no

– 17.45% said probably not

– 13.87% said probably yes

– 7.47% said yes

MPs from both Palang Pracharath and Pheu Thai failed to attend Wednesday’s second reading of the draft bill to change the party-list calculation method. The meeting collapsed due to a lack of quorum and the bill now looks to be doomed.

Parliament will meet again on Monday to consider the bill, under which party-list votes would be divided by 500 to calculate the number of party-list MPs. The “500” calculation method would benefit small parties at the expense of large parties. Failure of the bill would see the calculation method revert to division by 100.

Published : August 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40018864

A special Parliament meeting on the revised MP election bill scheduled for Monday appears to be doomed as the main opposition party Pheu Thai has sworn to stop a quorum from being formed.

Pheu Thai leader Cholanan Srikaew, who also leads the parliamentary opposition, said on Saturday that MPs from his party will not allow a quorum to be formed.

He said this was the “best solution” to block the revised version’s system of using the 500 figure in calculating the number of party-list MPs – a system that he describes as being “unconstitutional and against principles”.

“Pheu Thai prefers blocking the ‘500 divider’ bill so we can get the ‘100 divider’ bill in the next election,” Cholanan said.

In a Facebook post, the Pheu Thai leader said that if the “500 divider” bill managed to pass the final reading, then the Constitutional Court will be asked to check if it was constitutional. A court rejection of the bill would raise the risk of there being no electoral law if Parliament is dissolved abruptly, he added.

The original bill passed its first reading on February 24, and in its second reading on July 6, the Parliament voted to approve the system of dividing the total number of party-list votes by 500 rather than 100 in the original version that was drafted and submitted to Cabinet by the Election Commission.

However, a parliamentary meeting on the bill’s final reading was adjourned twice due to a lack of quorum. Many MPs from Pheu Thai and the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, as well as several senators, chose not to record their attendance despite being physically present in the chamber, media reports said.

Last Thursday, Parliament President Chuan Leekpai called a special meeting of the two Houses on August 15 in a last-ditch effort to save the bill from lapsing.

The organic law’s revised version needs to pass the final reading within the 180-day deadline, which is August 15, or its original version will be enacted, according to the Constitution.

Published : August 13, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40018835

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai warned on Friday that domestic political chaos could derail the Apec summit hosted by Thailand in mid-November.

He said harmony was necessary to ensure Thailand’s success in hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and related meetings, due in Bangkok from November 14 to 19.

“If the domestic atmosphere is full of chaos and confusion, the conference may go the same way,” the foreign minister said.

He cited the example of the 2009 Asean Summit in Pattaya, which was cancelled after anti-government protesters stormed the meeting venue, forcing the evacuation of foreign leaders and causing embarrassment to Thailand and the Abhisit Vejjajiva government.

“This upcoming conference will cover everything from the economy, investment and politics to tourism. We need to keep peace in the country to reassure the participants,” Don said on Friday.

He also confirmed Thailand’s readiness to host Apec leaders, expressing confidence the country would earn international praise as was the case when it organised previous conferences like the Asean summit two years ago.

Thailand is walking a diplomatic tightrope as Apec chair this year after May’s Apec meeting ended without a joint statement following a walkout in protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by the United States and six other countries.

However, Don dismissed concern that ongoing international conflicts would affect November’s summit, citing a recent meeting of Asean foreign ministers and “dialogue partners” including China and the US.

“The meeting went smoothly although there was some disagreement. The negotiations were completed amicably,” he said.

However, the foreign minister added that Thailand is closely following the global situation to cope with any changes before the Apec summit.

“We will try to handle any situation that may happen,” he said.

Published : August 12, 2022