Non-MP can still be premier, CDC says

The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) has concluded the criteria for becoming prime minister, retaining a clause that allows a non-MP to be made premier if he or she wins the support of at least two-thirds of MPs in the House pending royal endorsement.

A source close to the CDC said the drafters have finished deliberation of Sections 172 and 173 which deal with the nomination and selection process of the prime minister.

In the original draft, under Section 172, the House of Representatives is allowed to select an extra-parliamentary political player as prime minister with a two-thirds majority, as opposed to an MP nominee who would require a simple majority to become prime minister. The vote to select a prime minister must take place within 30 days of the opening of the lower House.

In the original draft, under Section 173, if no candidates receive the required support within the time-frame as stipulated in Section 172, the House speaker has to submit for royal endorsement the candidate who receives the most votes.

Observers saw this as a loophole for an outsider to get elected as national leader as he or she is likely to gain more votes than the MP candidates.

Under the revised draft, the CDC has agreed to make changes to the criteria for the non-MP candidate, said the source. After the 30-day time-frame passes, only the MP candidate with the most votes will be submitted for royal endorsement.

“This means a non-MP candidate [for the prime minister post] must win the support of at least two-thirds within the 30 day period to get elected,” said the source. If he can’t get enough support in that time, his candidacy lapses. The source said the CDC believes the revised criteria for the premier would ensure an outsider prime minister will be selected only when it is necessary.

The CDC also has decided to make changes to the term of the prime minister, the source said. Instead of saying the prime minister is not allowed to serve more than two terms back-to-back, the revised draft says the premier is not allowed to serve more than eight years consecutively.

The source said with such changes, the term of the prime minister will not be tied to the term of parliament.

For example, if parliament is dissolved before its term is completed twice before eight years, the prime minister can still seek a third term.