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Thailand votes in referendum on junta-backed constitution

Lillian Suwanrumpha, AFP | A woman (L) votes as an official looks on at a local polling station during the constitutional referendum in Bangkok on August 7, 2016.




Ahead of the referendum, polls suggested a small lead in favour of accepting the new constitution, but most voters were undecided. Preliminary results were expected at around 8.00 p.m. (1300 GMT).

Thailand votes on divisive junta constitution


He encouraged Thais to participate after casting his vote on Sunday.

"I urge everyone to come out and vote... to decide on the future of the country," Prayuth told reporters at a polling station in northwest Bangkok.

He was heckled by one woman as he spoke to the media.
"Can you manage the country? Can you protect the country?" she asked, before being moved away by security personnel.

Around 200,000 police were deployed for the vote, and while Thailand’s largest political parties rejected the constitution ahead of the vote, there were no signs of protests or trouble.

The junta, formally known as the National Council for Peace and Order, has banned all criticism of the constitution and authorities have detained and charged dozens of people who have spoken against it, including politicians and student activists.

Decade of turmoil


Thailand has seen over a decade of political turmoil since Thaksin was ousted.

Thaksin lives in self-imposed exile but retains a strong influence, particularly with his rural support base in the north. His sister Yingluck swept to power with an electoral landslide in 2011, and her government was ousted by Prayuth three years later in the 2014 coup.


"I’m happy that I could still exercise my rights as a (Thai) person," Yingluck told reporters, urging others to go and vote.

Thaksin called the charter a"folly" on Thursday, saying it would perpetuate the junta’s power and make it impossible to govern Thailand.

Reuters interviews with senior officers showed the military’s ambition is to make future coups unnecessary through the new charter by weakening political parties and ensuring the military a role in overseeing the country’s economic and political development.


In the northeastern city of Khon Kaen, around 50 voters queued to vote outside the town’s rebuilt city hall, which was burnt down during political unrest in 2010.

"I want the country to get better," said farmer Thongyoon Khaenkhaomeng at a nearby polling station in a school. He voted in favour of the constitution because he wanted to see an end to Thailand’s divisions, he said.



The vote comes against the back-drop of concern about the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88. The military has for decades invoked its duty as defender of the deeply revered monarch to justify its interventions in politics.

No reconciliation

Whichever way the vote goes, the United Nations would like to see more dialogue between the military and political opponents, said Luc Stevens, the U.N. chief in Thailand.

"There is no reconciliation if one group says ‘Lets reconcile on our terms’," he told Reuters ahead of the referendum.

"If you don’t want to leave anybody behind in this country, you need to think about an inclusive process, an open dialogue, and ensure that people can express their opinion."

Two students were detained and charged on Saturday in the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum for handing out leaflets urging voters to vote against the referendum, said Police Colonel Aram Prajit.

The ban on campaigning has not stopped the junta from deploying thousands of military cadets to carry a message to Thailand’s 50 million eligible voters encouraging them to participate in the referendum. The Election Commission is hoping for a turnout of 80 percent.

Amnesty International said on Friday the junta had created a chilling climate ahead of the vote through pervasive human rights violations.


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