"Mark" seeks coalition partners to propose two constitutional amendment drafts to unlock the Senate's veto rights, selecting experts to join the process, aiming to finalize a new constitution within 240 days. "Mark" here refers to Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party.
On 29 May 2026 at the Parliament, Abhisit Vejjajiva, party-list MP and leader of the Democrat Party, along with his team, held a press conference updating the progress on constitutional amendments. This marks a significant step after the majority of Thai citizens approved drafting a new constitution in a referendum on 8 February 2026. It is necessary to amend Article 256 and add Article 256/1 to enable the process of drafting the new constitution.
Abhisit revealed that since the constitution requires at least 100 MPs to propose amendments, and the Democrat Party alone does not have enough MPs, the party has been negotiating with other like-minded parties—those unable to propose drafts alone and who disagree with the main draft previously submitted to Parliament. They have successfully agreed and gathered mutual support signatures. The Democrat Party will submit two separate constitutional amendment motions.
The first draft establishes the framework for drafting the new constitution that the Democrat Party has long advocated. It is based on two key conditions: 1. Compliance with the Constitutional Court’s ruling that members of the Constituent Assembly (CA) must not be entirely directly elected by the public; and 2. Consideration of concerns from some citizens about amending Chapters 1 and 2, which are especially sensitive.
Regarding the CA structure of 100 members, Abhisit explained the division: 80 members will be chosen through public opinion polling via an electronic system in each province, with each province nominating three candidates. The House of Representatives will then select 80 members, applying the principle of one person, one vote to prevent any political group from monopolizing the CA majority. The remaining 20 members will be experts selected internally, including 5 Supreme Court judges, 5 Administrative Court judges, 5 experts in law/public law, and 5 academics in political science/public administration. University rectors will design the selection process.
"We are fairly flexible, not specifying which committees the CA must establish, but granting the CA the right to complete the draft constitution within 240 days and to gather public opinions by its own method before submitting it to Parliament for approval. If Parliament has any objections, the CA will reconsider until Parliament finally approves the draft by a three-fifths majority," Abhisit stated.
The Democrat Party leader added that requiring a three-fifths parliamentary majority to approve the final draft is intended to prevent conflicts that could lead to a parliamentary dissolution, as happened in the past. It also unlocks the debate over whether senators or opposition parties should have veto rights. However, the principle remains that approval cannot be by a simple majority; the three-fifths threshold ensures the parliamentary consensus before proceeding to a public referendum.
Regarding the second draft, the Democrat Party proposes revising future constitutional amendment criteria by setting a standard three-fifths majority of Parliament for approval, without specifying conditions on the number of senators or opposition MPs required. Abhisit emphasized that this aligns with the Democrat Party’s longstanding stance on the 2017 constitution, adhering to principles of minority voice consideration, the Constitutional Court’s rulings, and also helps save the country's budget resources.