Constituent Power in the Binary-Star Scenario
Insights from Constitutional Court Decision No. 18/2568 (2025)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54157/tls.283933Keywords:
Constitutional amendment, Constituent power, Constitutional Court, Binary-star scenarioAbstract
As an instrument that determines the trajectory for a nation’s life and the distribution of political power, a constitution produced through an unpopular design can become a persistent source of political controversy and conflict. This dynamic is evident in Thailand’s contemporary experience. Initiated by the military junta that seized power in May 2014 and ratified via a controversial referendum two years later, the 2017 Constitution has prompted widespread calls for replacement among segments of pro-democracy civil society. Yet, given the charter’s design to institutionalise royal hegemony and entrench elite tutelage over electoral politics, many royalist-conservative supporters have undoubtedly adopted an intransigent stance against its amendment, let alone its replacement. In pursuing their agenda, each faction struggles to define the nature and scope of the power to make the constitution—constituent power. This Commentary analyses the Thai Constitutional Court (TCC)’s Decision no.18/2568 (2025) of 10 September 2025, regarding the latest attempt to overhaul the 2017 Constitution, focusing on its effects on the contours of Thailand’s constituent power. Before examining and analysing the details of this ruling, however, it is essential to outline the surrounding political landscape—including the Court’s prior verdict in 2021—that shaped the trajectory leading to the September 2025 decision. The analysis will be grounded in my theoretical framework—the "binary-star" scenario.
References
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Sources in Thai
“ประชามติ 3 ครั้ง คือ ‘ทางที่ปลอดภัยที่สุด’ จริงหรือ?” บีบีซีไทย (27 พฤษจิกายน 2567) [“Three Referendums: Are They Really ‘the Safest Path’?” BBC Thai (21 April 2024)] https://www.bbc.com/thai/articles/cd130qvpznjo
รวินท์ ลีละพัฒนะ และชมพูนุท ตั้งถาวร, “จากการแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมรัฐธรรมนูญที่ไม่ชอบด้วยรัฐธรรมนูญ ไปสู่บทบัญญัติของรัฐธรรมนูญที่ควรถูกแก้ไขเพิ่มเติม: ถอดบทเรียนจากทฤษฎีของยานิฟ รอซไน” (2568) 54 วารสารนิติศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์ 105 [Rawin Leelapatana, and Chompunoot Tangthavorn. “From Unconstitutional Constitutional Amendments to Constitutional Provisions that Should Be Amended: Lessons from Yaniv Roznai’s Theory” (2025) 54 Thammasat Law Journal 105].
หทัยกาญจน์ ตรีสุวรรณ, “เปิดไทม์ไลน์ประชามติ 2 ครั้ง ‘หนทางเดียว’ ได้รัฐธรรมนูญใหม่ก่อนรัฐบาล แพทองธาร ครบเทอม” บีบีซีไทย (27 พฤษจิกายน 2567) [Hatayakan Treesuwan. “Timeline of Two Referenda: The ‘Only Path’ to Have a New Constitution Before Paetongtarn’s Government Completes Its Term.” BBC Thai (27 November 2024)] https://www.bbc.com/thai/articles/c8rlzy0xnrko
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