Signature target surpassed after Election Commission said it would accept only paper documents
PUBLISHED : 26 Aug 2023 at 15:08
Organisers of a petition seeking a referendum on having a new constitution drafted by a 100% elected committee say they have gathered the required number of signatures to present to the Election Commission (EC).
The People’s Constitution Drafting Group, a network of civil society organisations and activist groups, said it had obtained 113,912 names — well above the 50,000 threshold required by law — as of Friday night.
The group, which includes the legal watchdog NGO iLaw, hailed the accomplishment as it had only three days to gather the names after being turned back by the EC.
Organisers originally submitted their 50,000-signature petition to the poll body on Aug 22 — three days ahead of an Aug 25 deadline — but the EC said most of them were invalid because they were gathered online. It said it would only recognise signatures on paper documents.
Once collected, it said, the paper documents would have to be scanned and then submitted to the commission as a PDF file on a CD.
The poll body explained that as an independent organisation, it is not covered by the 2022 Act on Electronic Performance of Administrative Functions, which requires state agencies to offer more paperless services to the public.
The campaigners are seeking a public vote on whether the 2017 Constitution, drafted by a body appointed by the military junta then in power, should be entirely amended by an elected Constituent Assembly.
The 2017 charter was approved in August 2016 by 61.4% of voters in a referendum, in which all commentary deemed as expressing opposition to the charter was banned.
One of the key points of the campaign is that it aims to secure the right for members of the public to pose questions in a charter referendum.
Once the EC receives the petition, it is expected to take another 30 days to verify the signatures.
A whiteboard at the iLaw offices in Bangkok displays an updated tally of signatures on a petition in support of a “people’s constitution” on Friday night. (Photo: iLaw)