The Senate voted on Monday (30 September) to amend the Referendum bill previously approved by the House of Representatives to require a double majority.

To fix political problems arising from the conservative constitution imposed by military leaders after their 2014 coup, Thailand needs a new people’s charter. However, concerned parties are worried that procedural stumbling blocks will make it difficult to get one before the next election in 2027.

On Tuesday (18 June), parliament voted to pass at the first reading 4 bills proposing amendments to the Public Referendum Act so that referendums will no longer require a double majority.

After the cabinet announced on Tuesday (23 April) that it will require three referendums on amending the constitution, concerns have been raised that a provision prohibiting amendments on monarchy-related chapters in the Constitution will lead to a dead end and raise questions about the role of the monarchy.

The parliament has voted against a Move Forward Party (MFP) proposal to hold a referendum on whether a Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) should be elected to draft a new constitution.

After being informed by the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) that online signatures would not be accepted, the campaign to petition for a constitutional referendum obtained 212,139 signatures on paper in the space of just 3 days.

<p>Election Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn has attempted to put the kibosh on plans by the UDD to monitor the upcoming referendum.&nbsp; That much was entirely predictable.&nbsp; What was more surprising was the legal justification that he gave for saying that they couldn’t do it.</p> <p>He is reported to have said that the Referendum Act did not expressly permit it.&nbsp;</p> <p>But saying so you can’t do something if the law doesn’t explicitly permit you to do it – that’s complete bullshit.&nbsp;</p>

<div> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-87e3ad9a-f4e6-7f03-2884-764a2a1d9dc9">The junta-appointed lawmakers have voted to include a motion on the right of senators to vote to approve PM.&nbsp;</span></p> </div>

<p><em>Election? Another coup? People’s uprising? Where is Thailand heading? Academics have said that if the military decides to prolong its regime, a people’s uprising is inevitable.&nbsp;</em></p> <p></p>

<div>In an attempt to censor voices against the draft constitution, the junta threatened the Pheu Thai Party after it issued a statement denouncing the draft constitution as undemocratic.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On Wednesday, 30 March 2016, the Pheu Thai Party issued a statement condemning the final draft of the constitution and urging people to turn it down in the referendum, scheduled in August.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In response to Pheu Thai’s move, Col Piyapong Klinphan, a spokesperson for the junta, said the junta thanks Pheu Thai for having a clear stance on the draft, but t </div>

<div>The draft referendum bill sets heavy sentences for denouncing the referendum or publishing polls predicting the result too close to voting day on August 7. </div>

<div>The anti-Thaksin civil society has condemned the junta government for issuing orders that intentionally benefit big construction projects which affect locals, and has urged people to use the upcoming referendum as a bargaining chip against the junta.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Academics and civil society state that NCPO Orders 3/2016, 4/2016 and 9/2016, which were issued using the power of Article 44 of 2014 interim charter, are turning Thailand into a capitalists’ paradise. </div>