New constitution could be ready by 2030 if all goes according to plan, says party executive
PUBLISHED : 19 May 2026 at 20:52
The Bhumjaithai Party will submit its constitutional draft to parliament on Wednesday, kicking off a brand-new attempt to draft a charter that it said could be ready by 2030 if all goes according to plan.
The party that leads the coalition government hopes its draft will form the core of a new document, in line with the wishes expressed by a majority of Thai voters in the Feb 8 referendum, said Nikorn Chamnong, a party board member.
One thing that will not be negotiable, though, is any change to the first two chapters of the existing constitution — the country’s 20th since 1932 — that was adopted in 2017.
Chapter 1 defines Thailand as a single, indivisible kingdom with a democratic regime and establishes the King as head of state, while Chapter 2 outlines royal prerogatives.
Mr Nikorn said that a constitution-drafting committee would be established, with senators playing a key role in selecting 100 members.
As well, support from at least one-third of senators, or 67 members of the upper house, would be required for any draft charter to proceed.
Mr Nikorn said it was hoped that 100 charter drafters could be chosen by May 2027.
The Constitutional Court ruled last year that while Parliament has the authority to amend the constitution, it cannot authorise the direct election of the drafters by the public.
The ruling touched off a new debate among lawmakers about how they could go about choosing drafters, with some input from the public, while staying true to the spirit of the court ruling.
In the end, time ran out before a consensus could be reached. After this year’s election and referendum, the Bhumjaithai government decided that none of the drafts proposed in the previous parliamentary session would be revived, sending the entire process back to square one.