Phumtham Wechayachai, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister, has announced that next month’s cabinet meeting will focus on the parameters required for a constitutional amendment referendum. Phumtham, who is also the head of a panel examining the referendum requirements for the charter amendment, has stated that the report will be submitted to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the cabinet for review.
In a recent meeting with coalition party leaders, Phumtham stated that there was an agreement on the panel’s key issues. These issues revolve around the uncertainty of how many referendums should be conducted during the charter amendment process, the question or questions to be posed during the referendum, and the procedures to undertake for a charter rewrite, reported Bangkok Post.
The findings from these discussions will be presented to the Election Commission after the cabinet’s review. Phumtham also mentioned that parliament intends to appeal to the Constitutional Court for a ruling on the number of referendums required for the charter amendment.
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Previously, the Constitutional Court had ruled that a charter rewrite could not commence before a referendum was conducted. The court asserted that any major changes to the charter or a complete overhaul would necessitate a preceding referendum vote that yields favourable results. However, the ruling did not specify the number of referendums needed to execute a charter rewrite.
In related news, the Thai Cabinet has officially approved a 3.6 trillion baht budget for fiscal year 2025, marking a 2.89% increase in the deficit. Economic projections include GDP growth ranging from 3.1% to 4.1%, with inflation anticipated at 1.5% to 2.5%. Extensions have been granted for certain price-controlled items, while government agencies have been granted an additional week to submit expenditure proposals. Furthermore, the Cabinet has extended the inclusion of essential items like hygienic face masks and chicken on the price control list until June 29, bringing the total to 56 items.
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