Dr. Cholnan criticized the government and the Election Commission for their inactive approach to campaigning for the referendum, fearing that millions of Thais could lose their voting rights and that there is a risk of overturning the amendment to the 2017 Constitution.
On 6 January 2026, Dr. Cholnan Srikaew, Pheu Thai Party candidate for Nan Province's 2nd district and former member of the constitutional amendment drafting committee, expressed serious concerns about the referendum process scheduled alongside the 8 February election. He noted irregularities in government publicity, observing that most people remain unaware that they will be asked to vote on a new constitution draft during the election. This reflects a lack of effort from the government and the Election Commission to raise public awareness, possibly indicating an intention to undermine the 2017 Constitution amendment.
Dr. Cholnan fears that advance voters will lose their referendum rights because more than 1.2 million people registered for out-of-district advance voting on 1 February. If these voters do not register separately to cast their referendum ballots outside their home districts, they will immediately forfeit their right to decide the fate of the new constitution, directly affecting approval or rejection votes.
Dr. Cholnan emphasized that if the referendum results reject the creation of a new constitution draft, the 2017 Constitution amendment process to allow a new drafting committee will definitely end. Therefore, the Pheu Thai Party must establish its own campaign committee, as the Election Commission, the main organizer, has surprisingly done very little publicity work.