Senator Seree Suwanpanont on Monday defended a charter amendment proposal seeking to scrap the term limit for a prime minister, saying it would benefit every political party.
The proposal was floated after the Constitutional Court ruled in September last year that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's term started in April 2017, meaning he had already served much of his term limit.
It was seen as an attempt to help Gen Prayut cling to power and drew strong criticism from several politicians who claimed the proposal would trigger a fresh conflict.
Under Section 158 of the constitution, an individual can only serve as a prime minister for a maximum of eight years, regardless of whether the four-year terms are served consecutively or not.
Mr Seree, chairman of a Senate panel on political development and public participation, said the proposal has yet to be finalised and there were other issues being studied by the panel.
The panel had asked the King Prajadhipok's Institute to study the possibility of amending the section.
"It's not easy to revise the charter because it needs approval from the House and the Senate including support from one-third of the senators and the opposition.
"And the proposal isn't for Gen Prayut. No one knows who will win the elections and who will be the prime minister. So, the proposal will benefit any political party," he said.
Asked why the term limit should be removed, he said the rule has prevented good and competent people from serving the country.
Korn Chatikavanij, leader of Chartpattanakla Party, said on Monday there were other pressing issues that need to be considered, such as the Senate's power in selecting the prime minister and the origins of independent public organisations.
"The people should have the power to select a prime minister, the way they have the power to choose which MPs to represent them. We have campaigned for this change for years but there is no progress," he said.
He said the timing of the proposal is bad, and it will cause a political conflict, especially with the elections around the corner.
"I think we should go to the polls first. It isn't the time to discuss it," he said.
Pheu Thai secretary-general Prasert Chanruangthong said his party disagrees with the proposal.
