Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has assured a general election will be held in mid-2017 even if the draft constitution is shot down in a referendum. He insisted the general election will go ahead under the government's 20-month political roadmap leading to an election in the middle of next year, regardless of the referendum's outcome. According to this roadmap, if the draft passes a referendum expected in July, the subsequent six months will be spent drafting organic laws. After that, preparations will be undertaken to organise a general election scheduled to take place in the middle of the next year. However, the prime minister declined to confirm whether the 2014 interim charter, which is currently in use, would be adopted as a new permanent charter if the draft charter is not passed in the referendum.
"I'll find ways to solve this problem myself. If the draft does not pass, l'll make the election happen regardless," Gen Prayut said. Asked what will happen if the draft constitution is rejected in the referendum, Gen Prayut said "That's my business. I won't say anything. Why did you ask as if the draft charter will not pass? Don't you know the country needs reform?" Asked when he will be ready to reveal the "back- up plan", the prime minister said: "I'll tell you only if and when the draft charter is voted down In the event the draft charter is rejected in the referendum, he hinted at the possibility of writing sections specific to organising a poll and then incorporating those into the current interim charter to enable a general election to proceed as planned.
However, there have been concerns that the military's interim charter could be used to prolong the military government's stay in power for the long haul. The prime minister said he wanted the draft constitution to be endorsed in the referendum Speculation has been rife that the interim charter giving Prime Minister Prayut Sweeping powers under Section 44 might be adopted as the permanent constitution. Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) chairman Meechai Ruchupan was reported to have indicated on Monday the interim charter might continue to be used if the draft charter is not passed in the referendum However, CDC spokesman Norachit Sinhaseni yesterday said the interim charter's content was too short to be adopted as a permanent one. The interim charter does not contain provisions on key elements such as elections or rights and freedom, he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam agreed that the interim charter could not easily be used as a permanent one because it does not have sections on elections or even the requirement for a policy statement after a government is sworn in. Mr Meechai also said on Monday there was no need to spell out what would happen if the draft was voted down. He reasoned that voters will not read its content and judge it from its surface if an alternative is laid on the table. Agreeing with Mr Meechai, Mr Wissanu said preparing an alternative in advance would spell doom for the draft charter. But the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the government will have to think about how to deal with such a scenario, he said.
"In any case, we have to provide an answer to the people in the event the charter is voted down. The answer may lie in amending the interim charter. But if there's no change made, rest assured we'll find a solution, only we can't tell you now." Mr Wissanu urged all sides not to comment on the issue for now and promised the NCPO and the government would come up with the best solution