Thai lawmaker confident smooth passage of draft charter

BANGKOK, April 14 (TNA) - General Lertrat Rattanawanit, spokesman for Thailand’s Charter Drafting Committee, is confident the National Reform Council will pass the new constitution and that will lead to the next general election early next year as planned in the government's national reform roadmap. General Lertrat said his committee will likely convince the National Reform Council on the first draft of the new constitution during an upcoming meeting on April 20. General Lertrat dismissed the speculation that the Prayut Chan-o-cha government would stay in office for three years. He said he believed the prime minister would adhere to the roadmap which had set for the next election during next February or three months later if a referendum was held. "There will not be an accident. Whenever the prime minister talks with the CDC chairman, he understands what we have done so far. If there is any signal, it will be a positive one," he said. He also said that many members of the committee agreed that there should be a referendum on the new constitution to make it acceptable. (TNA)