“Voters simply believe that the strong rule of military, or the new semi-authoritarian regime guided by that military, can prevent the recurrence of street politics and violent conflict that engulfed Thailand in the past several years”.
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Washington regularly calls on Thailand to organise new legislative elections and re-establish democratic institutions.
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.
“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. People had to check “yes” or “no” for the constitution and related provisions on the ballot paper.
About 50 million voters will answer “yes” or “no” to the question-Do you accept the draft constitution?
Another clause makes it easy to begin impeachment proceedings, while a new proportional representation voting system is likely to produce weak coalition governments.
On Sunday, Elections Commission (EC) officials said 61.45 percent voted in favor of the military government-backed constitution, while only 38.55 percent voted against after counting 94 percent of all ballots cast.
Experts have also said the vote serves to confirm or deny the legitimacy of military rule in the country since a coup in 2014.
Even with a “no” vote the military will remain in control for the foreseeable future.
Video footage showed the man wearing a “No Coup” t-shirt and shouting “Down with dictatorship, long live democracy”. Destroying a ballot is illegal, and he was arrested. We want the country to move forward and figure out ways to have stability for at least five years. This would check the powers of elected members of parliament.
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.
The Pheu Thai party made several criticisms on the draft constitution, such as too much curtailment of administrative officials and too much power bestowed upon the Constitutional Court and any independent organizations, the possible generation of a multiparty government which is not stable enough to run the country, and a almost impossible amendment of the constitution, adding that it is also unfair that the draft exempts the NCPO from any punishments. The country’s largest political parties have rejected the draft.
Nine activists who posted comments critical of Thailand’s ruling junta and a military-backed draft constitution on Facebook have been jailed, police said on Saturday, the latest opponents of the government penalised for airing dissent.
Thaksin easily won every national election since 2001, with the support of working-class and rural voters who benefited from his populist policies.
Anxiety over the ill health of 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej has compounded the crisis.
Prayuth said he is “disappointed” with “foreign intervention” in the kingdom’s political transition, as the United States and the European Union have been critical of the military Junta’s suppression of campaigning during the referendum.
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Since a 2006 coup toppled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck’s billionaire brother who is now in self-exile, power has flipped between elected governments linked to him and rule by the army and its establishment supporters.
