Atthakorn Regrets Cabinet's Failure to Endorse Constitutional Draft, Contradicting Referendum Results; Says Palang Pracharath Ready to Support Democracy-Strengthening Proposals

On May 19, 2025, at Parliament, Atthakorn Sirilattayakorn, Chakburi constituency MP and Palang Pracharath party (PP) spokesman, discussed his party's stance on drafting a new constitution. He expressed regret that last week Parliament did not consider the constitutional amendment draft that the cabinet failed to reendorse, as some versions would have been preliminary steps, and starting entirely from scratch contradicts the referendum results.

Atthakorn stated that Palang Pracharath will soon hold a party meeting to discuss constitutional amendments with members, deciding whether to submit its own draft or support other members' proposals. Any draft that poses no threat to governance, benefits the public, and strengthens democracy would receive party backing. If the party does not submit its own draft, it will support suitable alternatives, since constitutional amendments cannot be achieved by a single party and require parliamentary consensus, which is time-consuming. The party should therefore choose proposals with the broadest coverage and greatest benefit to Thailand's democratic system with the monarchy as head of state.

When asked what improvements Palang Pracharath envisions to the 2017 Constitution, Atthakorn said the party would focus on public convenience and address weaknesses or unpopular elements, prioritizing those issues while confirming it will not touch important sections.

Regarding ballot design, Atthakorn noted he discussed with Parunya Thevaneramittkul, a law professor at Thammasat University, a proposal to improve ballot clarity and accessibility, particularly for elderly voters, making the voting process more convenient and transparent.