The Secretary-General of the House of Representatives has outlined the calendar for the third reading vote on the constitutional amendment, which could occur as early as 29 Dec 2025 or possibly after the New Year on 5-6 Jan 2026, depending on the readiness of parliament members.
At 11:40 a.m. on 4 Dec 2025 at the Parliament, Mr. Siroj Paetphan, Secretary-General of the House of Representatives, spoke about the readiness to convene a joint parliamentary extraordinary session to consider the constitutional amendment bill’s second reading on 10-11 Dec 2025. He said the parliamentary committee reviewing the constitutional amendment draft has returned its report. Currently, Mr. Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, the parliamentary president, is considering permission to hold the session on 10-11 Dec 2025. The second reading will consider sections individually when the committee reserves opinions or members propose amendments. The schedule will be assessed, but no strict time limits will be set; those reserving opinions and proposing amendments will have full rights to debate. The details regarding how many members from the opposition, government, and Senate whips will speak and for how long have yet to be finalized, and no clear deadline has been set for closing the second reading session.
Mr. Siroj added that the parliamentary president has no objection to closing the session at any time. Regarding the third reading session, its timing depends on when the second reading ends. If it concludes on 11 Dec 2025, then a 15-day waiting period applies, leading to 26 Dec 2025, but the earliest possible date to consider the third reading would be 29 Dec 2025. However, this depends on members’ readiness, since 29 Dec is the year-end. The parliamentary president has no objection to holding the session on that date but is also ready for it to be after the New Year on 5-6 Jan 2026, depending on negotiations among the three party whips. When asked if this might delay the referendum and affect the election schedule, Mr. Siroj replied that it depends on details such as the date Parliament approves and sends the draft to the Cabinet for the referendum process, which must be carefully considered. The parliamentary president is open to holding the session on any date.