BANGKOK — Junta-appointed lawmakers will continue to meet in the old parliament building until March 15 before turning the facility over to the palace, the house speaker said Tuesday.
Parliament chairman Pornpetch Wichitchol told reporters before entering today’s session that the legislature would have to meet in an auditorium inside a parliament secretariat office on Prachachuen Road after March 15.
About 44 bill drafts and proposals will be deliberated in the coming weeks, according to reports.
Read: Even if Thailand Votes, No Parliament Awaits New Lawmakers
Although the parliament was supposed to close for good New Year’s Eve, the royal palace extended the deadline while lawmakers look for a place to rent.
The new parliament, located riverside in the Dusit district, has yet to be completed despite years of construction. Its website says 59 percent of the work had been completed as of Feb. 22.
Lawmaker Somchai Sawangkan said last month that an auditorium at state telecom TOT in northern Bangkok would be rented for formal sessions of the full house, such as the selection of prime minister next month following the election.
The rent stands at about 100,000 baht per day, Somchai said, adding that construction of the new parliament may be complete by July – about four months after the general election.
