Voters in Thailand are casting their ballots on whether to accept or reject a new constitution, in a referendum that has been heavily criticised by rights groups and opponents of the country’s military junta.
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Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn says that with 91 per cent of the votes counted, the “yes” camp received 61.5 per cent of the votes, while 38.44 per cent voted “no” in Sunday’s referendum.
He said counting will stop when 95% of the votes have been tallied. The Election Commission set a goal of 80 percent turnout, compared with the 57.61 percent turnout in 2007.
Analysts say the constitution will allow the military to maintain power in future without the need to stage coups, of which Thailand has seen 12 since 1932.
Sunday’s referendum was the first time Thais have been able to go to the polls since army chief turned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha toppled the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014.
Open criticism of the draft constitution was made punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and more than 100 people who tried to campaign against the referendum on social media were thrown in jail.
Preliminary results of the referendum are expected around 9:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Sunday.
Whatever the result, the draft constitution is unlikely to be Thailand’s last – the country has seen 19 constitutions since the 1930s.
As for the second question posed on the ballot, which asked voters whether they agreed with allowing a junta-appointed senate to jointly vote with the House of Representatives to choose the Prime Minister, around 58 percent said “yes” as well.
The military had deployed thousands of military cadets to encourage eligible voters to participate in the referendum.
“Under the Referendum Act, we can’t lead the public to vote no”.
At one Bangkok polling station an activist was arrested for deliberately spoiling his ballot paper. Thailand’s largest political parties reject the draft sought by the junta and its premier Prayuth Chan-ocha (pictured center above).
The voting took place with the backdrop of severe restrictions imposed by the junta, which banned political rallies, independent campaigns and open discussion about the constitution.
In addition to introducing a system of proportional representation that would likely prevent any single party becoming a dominant parliamentary force, it also proposes the creation of a 250-member appointed Senate, which would include members of the army, and could appoint an unelected prime minister if there were no clear consensus on a candidate from the parliament. A general election for 500 civilian members of the lower house of parliament could follow in the middle of next year at the earliest.
In the draft constitution, a fully-appointed senate could block the work of elected politicians. “If passed, it will be Thailand’s 20th constitution”.
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.
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.
Since a 2006 coup, power has flipped between elected governments led by or linked to self-exiled billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra – Yingluck’s elder brother – and rule by the army and its establishment supporters.
The turmoil has been compounded by the frail health of 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, as competing elites jostle ahead of any transition.
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“The Thai military seized power from a democratically elected government two years ago, promising a return to clean governance and political stability”, reporter Michael Sullivan, who is in Bangkok, tells our Newscast unit.
