He said counting will stop when 95% of the votes have been tallied.
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Pavin, a Thai and a vocal critic of the junta, told The Associated Press that a victory in the referendum would give the junta the reason to tell the world “don’t you dare criticize us anymore because we have the legitimacy”. The country’s largest political parties have rejected the draft.
“I’m happy that I could still exercise my rights as a (Thai) person”, Yingluck told reporters, urging others to go and vote.
However, many Thais and global observers are skeptical of those claims, as the new constitution will cement military rule throughout the country’s governmental institutions.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who leads the junta, says the new constitution is meant to increase stability in a country that has seen 13 military coups since the 1930s, and is part of Thailand’s path back to democracy.
Despite the curbs on civil liberties, Prayuth’s rule has brought a measure of stability and ended the frequent street violence and divisive politics that had frayed Thailand’s social fabric for years.
They fear the appointed senate, and a new proportional representation system enshrined in the new constitution, will make it harder for major parties to win outright majorities.
One poll conducted between August 2 and 6 had 76.9 percent “yes” votes, while the other two had 61.3 percent and 57.3 percent voicing approval.
While many pro-democracy activists accepted the result, they said it was due to the junta’s clampdown on open discussion or debate regarding the draft charter prior to the referendum, as well as the arrests of those who spoke against it.
Critics say the amendments greatly enhance the power of the military, and ensure it will have a grip over Thai politics for at least five more years.
Though the EC predicted a turnout as high as 70 percent, this referendum reported a turnout even lower than the 2007 charter referendum, with only 55 percent out of 50.5 million eligible voters going to the polls compared to 2007’s 57.6 percent.
He said the result was not expected to change much after all of the votes are counted.
Thailand’s election commissioner says voters have approved a new junta-backed constitution in a referendum.
Among those who flocked to a polling station in northern Bangkok was Somchai Banyat, a 49-year-old legal advisor.
“The junta has deemed criticisms and dissenting opinions about the draft constitution to be “false information” and a threat to national security”.
Many also said they did not fully understand the second question posed on the ballot, which asks whether voters agreed with allowing senators to join the elected House of Representatives in selecting a prime minister.
Before the coup, just over half of the upper house seats were directly elected and the rest were appointed.
Emergency decrees enacted by the junta without any parliamentary consent remain valid.
The military has successfully seized power 12 times since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 and this constitution will be the kingdom’s 20th.
Made public in March, the draft proposes making it very hard for a single political party to hold a majority. The draft won approval in all regions, except the Northeast, which is the stronghold of former premier Thaksin Shinawatea. “I believe if the majority of Thais accept the draft charter, order will prevail”.
The vote comes amidst concern about the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88.
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Mr Shinawtra was deposed in a coup in 2006 following protests by “yellow shirts”, who accused him of corruption.
