Thailand to replace military-appointed senate and reduce its powers

Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to select a new slate of senators who will no longer be allowed to vote on who becomes prime minister, removing what has effectively served as a veto for the powerful military on who leads the country. The military introduced an appointed Senate when it changed the constitution in the wake of a 2014 coup, hand-picking its own lawmakers who ensured junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha became prime minister after parliamentary elections resumed in 2019. [ . . . ] The complex selection process for senators will now involve 20 groups from industries that include the legal, agriculture and media sectors to shortlist candidates who will compete on a provincial level. Those groups will again vote to decide the 200 new senators, but ordinary constituents have no say in the process, unlike parliamentary elections. The new upper house, to be formed by July, will be able to scrutinise laws and appoint members of independent organisations, but the elected lower house will have the final say on legislation.
Read the full article here: The Edge Malaysia