The 40 Senators Group has confirmed that the Constitution will not be violated should the senators go ahead with the selection of the new Senate Speaker during their current session.

Appointed Senator Somchai Sawaengkarn, as a core member of the 40 Senators Group, expressed his confidence that the voting on the Senate Speaker was feasible in this extraordinary session, which began on May 2, as it would not breach Section 132 Paragraph 2 of the Constitution. He elaborated that even though the matter was not specified in the agenda from the beginning, the Senate Speaker could be viewed as one of the constitutional positions the royal decree said were to be considered by senators.

Mr Somchai pointed out that if the selection of the Senate Speaker was interpreted as unconstitutional, the recent swear-in ceremony of newly-elected senators could have been of the same nature since it was also not included in the agenda.

The appointed senator then voiced concerns over politicians’ increasing intervention in the work of the Upper House. Therefore, he highlighted the necessity for the new Speaker to be voted on soon and for the voting process to be conducted independently among the senators.