On December 18, the House of Representatives, chaired by First Deputy Speaker Pichet Chuamuangphan, debated and voted on the Referendum Act Amendment Bill, previously revised by a joint committee. The bill proposed a dual-layer voting system for constitutional amendments, requiring more than half of all eligible voters to participate and a majority of those voting to approve the measure.
Opposition MPs from Pheu Thai Party and the People’s Party advocated for a simpler single-majority referendum system during the debate. However, the bill was ultimately rejected in a vote of 326 against, 61 in favor, with 1 abstention and 1 non-vote.
As per the Constitution (Articles 137(3) and 138(2)), the rejected bill cannot be reconsidered for 180 days. The session concluded at 8:30 PM. Notably, the 61 votes in favor of the bill came entirely from the Bhumjaithai Party MPs.