Thailand鈥檚 army-backed council rejects constitution
Print Edition
Thailand鈥檚 junta-appointed reform council yesterday voted to reject a controversial new constitution, a result that will prolong military rule and push back an election to April 2017 at the earliest.
Political parties, nevertheless, cheered the decision by National Reform Council (NRC) to dismiss the draft charter, having seen it as an affront to democracy on various grounds, including a provision that potentially allowed generals to intervene in a 鈥渃risis鈥.
If it had been passed it stood to become Thailand鈥檚 20th constitution in 83 years.
The whole process of writing a constitution must now start from scratch.
The military staged a coup in May last year and has always denied it was clinging to power.
The charter was given a thumbs-down by 135 NRC members and approved by 105, short of the 124 needed to pass and go to a referendum in January. The election had been slated for the second half of next year.
The constitution was expected to sail through the NRC vote but hit a snag when internal discord emerged recently, according to several members.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e worried about political problems in the future,鈥 council member Paiboon Nititawan told reporters.
A bone of contention was a late addition, the creation of a National Committee on Reform and Reconciliation Strategy. That would be dominated by military, allowing it to exercise power over the executive and legislative branches in a vaguely defined 鈥渃risis鈥 situation.
The government now has a month to appoint a committee that will have 180 days to draft a new constitution.
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