Constitution Court urged to consider legality of charter amendment

BANGKOK, September 28 (TNA) - Thailand’s major opposition Democrat Party on Saturday submitted a letter to the Constitution Court to consider whether a charter change which sailed through the parliament in its third and final reading breaches the constitution. The letter was submitted on Saturday by Jurin Laksanavisit, chairman of the opposition whip, MPs of the Democrat Party and the group of 40 senators to Nikom Wairatpanij, president of the Senate, after the controversial amendment of the Constitution was approved by parliament members and senators with 358 votes against two earlier in the day. All the opposition Democrat Party’s MP and some appointed senators boycotted the final-reading vote. Jurin said his party believed the charter amendment breaches the constitution and the Democrat Party has rights to obstruct the said bill from royal endorsement. The bill authorizes the election of all 200 senators. Jurin said the Parliament president must now forward the approved bill to the Constitution Court for consideration and the Parliament president cannot make the judgement by himself. Meanwhile, the ruling Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit and MP Phichit Chuenban jointly told a press conference that the Democrat Party cannot ask the Constitution Court to consider the charter change under Section 154. They argued that charter amendment is within the jurisdiction of the Parliament which falls under Section 291 while the Section 154 covers only general bills, not charter change. (TNA)