Thailand has voted in a referendum to accept a new military-backed constitution that paves the way for a general election in 2017 but requires future governments to rule on the military’s terms.
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But the new document, which officials have said is necessary to tackle graft in the political sphere, will also boost the military’s influence over any future elected governments.
Counting of votes began immediately after voting ended.
The voter turnout in the referendum reached over 50 percent, according to Thai officials.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha leaves after casting his vote in a referendum on a new constitution at a polling station in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016. Critics say the restrictions ensured that most people were unaware of the pitfalls of the charter, and were probably anxious to get the long-drawn process over with so that they could move on.
But others believe the draft constitution has a different aim: to weaken allies of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the central figure in the roiling of Thai politics.
“Far from being the key step toward the achievement of what the NCPO has termed ‘full and sustainable democracy, ‘ the draft charter creates undemocratic institutions, weakens the power of future elected governments, and is likely to fuel political instability”, the global rights consortium FIDH said in a report August 3, referring to the junta’s official name, the National Council for Peace and Order.
The referendum has been heavily criticised by rights groups and opponents of the country’s military junta.
The passage of the charter means the junta is more likely to stick to its current time line of holding elections late next year. This would be Thailand’s 20th constitution.
“If people cannot speak their minds freely or take part in political activities without fear, how can they meaningfully engage in this referendum”, said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The 105-page document gives the ruling junta the power to pick nearly all of the 250 senators during the transitory five-year period. Under the abolished 2007 constitution, half the Senate was elected, and the prime minister had to come from the lower house. The military has successfully seized power 12 times since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 and this constitution will be the kingdom’s twentieth if passed. The junta set up hand-picked committees to draft a charter that would enshrine its declared goal of reforming politics by eliminating corruption.
Thaksin’s political machine has easily won every national election since 2001, relying on the support of working-class and rural voters who benefited from his populist policies. Leading the other side is Thailand’s traditional ruling class and royalists unnerved by Thaksin’s support, especially as it contemplates its future.
The turmoil has been compounded by the frail health of 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, as competing elites jostle ahead of any transition.
Mr Shinawtra was deposed in a coup in 2006 following protests by “yellow shirts”, who accused him of corruption. “It is the military’s constitution – they would just want to write it in the way to maintain their power”, he said.
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Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said turnout was possibly lower than previously thought. His sister Yingluck swept to power with an electoral landslide in 2011, and her government was ousted by Prayuth three years later in the 2014 coup.
