Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, the speaker of the House of Representatives who doubles as Parliament president, said on Thursday that if the court accepted the petition by the Ombudsman’s Office for hearing and issued an injunction, the election of prime minister would have to be postponed further.
If that happens, the joint meeting of both Houses scheduled for August 4 would deliberate a bill to amend Article 272 of the Constitution, which was submitted by the Move Forward Party, Wan Noor said.
Move Forward’s amendment bill seeks the removal of Article 272, which empowers the Senate to join the lower House in electing Thailand’s prime minister. The Senate will have the power for five years from May 2019 when the first National Assembly convened after the 2017 Constitution came into effect.
This power held by the unelected senators, which expires in May 2024, has been blamed for…
