CDC mulls self-selection bid for Senate

Senate candidates might go through a multi-tiered selection process with the Senate’s power reduced to screening and vetoing legislation, according to the latest proposal by the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC).

CDC spokesman Udom Ratammarit said yesterday the committee has proposed to introduce a Senate selected by the candidates.

Potential Senate candidates will be chosen from different social or professional groups in districts nationwide. They will then be combined with candidates from other districts in the same province and vote among themselves. Those shortlisted will then enter a national pool and vote among themselves to select the senators.

To prevent vote-rigging and collusion in the selection process, members of a social or professional group may be barred from voting for potential candidates within their own ranks. For example, potential candidates of a women’s group will be picked by people in other groups in the district.

However, Mr Udom said the cross-voting and multi-tiered selection is only an idea, and it will be discussed again later.

“I don’t think the proposed method would lead to Senate candidacy being influenced by local politics,” he said.

Mr Udom added the CDC agreed the Senate’s power should be limited to screening and vetoing legislation. The panel has also given serious thought to stripping the Upper House of its authority to impeach political post holders.

The Senate might also lose its power to vote to accept a draft bill in the first reading. Instead, the Senate will start its work on the second reading when it screens a piece of legislation after it has been adopted by the House of Representatives and gone through the usual scrutiny.

After that, the Upper House will decide whether to pass the legislation in the third reading. Mr Udom said that without having to vote in the first reading, the Senate can work faster and can still alter wording in the legislation.