iLaw - Internet Law Reform Dialogue - admitted that its “people’s draft” would not pass its first reading after overwhelming rejection in the appointed Senate, whose power it would limit.
As Parliament counted the votes from MPs and senators on each of the seven drafts, the civil group tweeted that its version, viewed by many as the most democratic, would not gain sufficient support.
At the time of the tweet, only three senators had voted for iLaw’s draft, with 81 more were required when there were only 79 senators yet to vote.
The only senators who had voted for the iLaw draft so far were national artist Naowarat Pongpaiboon, former national legislative assembly vice president Peeraask Porjit and former ambassador Pisan Manawapat.
The constitution requires the votes of 82 senators among a total of 376 in the two houses for charter amendments.
The two drafts sponsored by the coalition and opposition camps calling for the setting up of a charter drafting committee have already accumulated enough votes to pass their first reading.
The iLaw version calls for amendments to all sections of the constitution, including those relating to the monarchy.
As voting proceeded in Parliament, anti-government protesters were gathering at Ratchaprasong intersection demanding the iLaw draft be supported by lawmakers and denouncing police for firing tear gas and water cannon against them in a rally yesterday.