However, he promised to announce the next steps to be taken in a nationwide TV broadcast once he has received the official referendum result from the EC expected on Wednesday.
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Early results for Bangkok – reported by Nation TV and based on results from individual polling stations – showed 60-75 percent in favor of the draft constitution, not surprising given the heavy support the military has among the capital’s residents.
The “yes” vote would be positive for the economy and investment in the second half of 2016, Bank of Thailand Governor Veerathai Santiphrabhob said yesterday, adding that the vote clarified the timeframe for Thailand’s return to democracy.
The gap in both measures was wide enough that the results would not change, Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, an election official, said on television.
In the referendum called by the military government on August 7, 94 per cent was the total outcome with 62 per cent of the voters approving the new constitution while 38 per cent rejecting it.
Once formally adopted, it will allow for a junta-appointed senate – including six seats reserved for military commanders.
In any event, with 91% of the ballots counted, the regime of Prime Minister and retired general Prayuth Chan-ocha confirmed it enjoys a degree of popularity.
The country’s tensions have been compounded by the frail health of 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, as elites jostle ahead of the transition. He also warned against some elements who still try to distort the fact about the charter claiming that it was a military-mandated charter. 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. Critics say the charter was tailor-made for the military to retain control because it provides for an appointed Senate which can choose a non-elected prime minister.
Sunday’s referendum was the first time Thais have been able to go to the polls since former army chief Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha toppled the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014. There will also be a proportional voting system that will likely make it hard for elected governments to hold a majority of Thailand’s National Assembly.
The military says the new constitution will end endemic political corruption and pave the way for a general election next year.
Experts say the referendum is also a vote on the legitimacy of military rule since a May 2014 coup. “If these laws become permanent, then it will be impossible for the Shinawatras to come back”, said Chaloem Butrphu, a farmer who voted against the referendum, speaking in a village among verdant rice paddy fields near Khon Khaen. Thailand has endured 13 successful military coups and 11 attempted takeovers since 1932. This would be Thailand’s 20th constitution.
Thaksin’s political machine has easily won every national election since 2001, mainly due to the support of working-class and rural voters who benefited from his populist policies.
Thaksin lives overseas to avoid a prison term for a corruption conviction, while Yingluck is on trial for alleged dereliction of duty involving a money losing rice-purchasing program.
“We think there will be an election at the earliest in September or October 2017, and a new government by December 2017”, Chatchai Na Chiang Mai, spokesman for the Constitution Drafting Committee, told Reuters.
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The upper house will keep elected lawmakers in check, while courts and other watchdog bodies will be given increased powers – despite already being accused of political bias.
