Thailand votes in referendum on new junta Constitution

August 07, 2016 12:38

Thais on Sunday voted in a referendum on a new junta-backed Constitution that could pave the way for polls next year even as critics feared it would strengthen army's grip on power.

About 50 million voters will answer 'yes' or 'no' to the question -- Do you accept the draft constitution? They are also being asked a supplementary question, whether or not the appointed senate should be allowed to join the lower house in selecting a Prime Minister.

If the majority of voters say 'yes', the draft becomes the Constitution, enhancing the military government's legitimacy in the run-up to an election which Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the 2014 coup, has promised will happen next year.

Results of the referendum will soon be announced after voting closes.

Prime Minister Prayut and other key government figures openly announced a couple of days back that they would vote "Yes" in the referendum.

The military junta which took power after a coup in 2014 called for the Constitution to be rewritten to ensure "clean politics" in the country. The referendum is likely to be a judgement day in Thai politics.

Not only will the fate of the new draft Constitution will be determined, but the outcome could also be significant for entities such as the military-created National Council for Peace and Order and politicians from different parties.

If the Constitution does not pass, what will happen is uncertain, but the military government will remain in control.

The way this referendum has been run by the military authorities has been widely condemned by human rights groups because of the ban on campaigning, which has seen dozens of people detained and charged.

As a result, public knowledge of the draft Constitution is limited.

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