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Thais approve new army-drafted charter |
Thailand's voters approved a new army-drafted constitution on
Sunday, paving the way to elections in December, but a large number
of "No" votes suggested ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
remains a political force.
A tally, with 95 percent of the votes counted in Thailand's first
referendum, showed 58.24 percent accepting the charter, designed to
prevent a repeat of Thaksin's powerful single-party style of
government. However, 41.76 percent rejected it, sending a signal to
the generals who removed the telecoms billionaire in a coup last
September that they will struggle to control the make-up of the
next administration. The election commission Web site,
www.ect.go.th/index.html, said turnout was 56.63 percent of a 45
million electorate. Having pushed for a "Yes" vote, the
army-appointed post-coup government had been hoping for at least a
60 percent turn-out for what will be Thailand's 18th constitution
in 75 years of on-off democracy. After early exit polls indicated
overall approval of the charter -- a result that was never really
in question -- Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said elections
would "definitely be held at the end of the year". Dec. 16 or Dec.
23 are the most likely election dates. Thaksin, 58, has been in
exile in Britain since the coup and spent the afternoon watching
his newly acquired soccer club, Manchester City, beat Manchester
United 1-0 in a match that will have generated as much interest in
Thailand as the referendum. End to Turmoil Many Thais,
especially those in Bangkok, appeared motivated to vote by a desire
to see an end to the turmoil since Thaksin's family sold control
of the telecoms empire he founded to Singapore for a tax-free $1.9
billion in January 2006. Analysts said investors would also be
relieved there had been no major upset, although the
smaller-than-expected margin of victory for the "Yes" camp
suggested the election would be closely fought, messy -- and dirty.
"This is telling the junta that they are going to have trouble at
an election and that could mean all kinds of attempts to influence
the result -- and that's worrying," Bangkok-based political
analyst Chris Baker said. Even though Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai
(Thais Love Thais) party has been disbanded and 111 members barred
from politics, its leaders hope the mass rural support that twice
swept it to power will rally to a new party under a new flag.
Analysts say the charter is designed to restore rule by the elites
challenged by Thaksin, son of an ethnic Chinese silk merchant, and
rekindle the "managed democracy" of the 1980s under ex-army chief
Prem Tinsulanonda -- now the King's top adviser and seen by the
Thaksin camp as the coup mastermind. "The most important thing now
is for Thais to be reconciled," Prem said after voting. "I hope the
referendum will end misunderstanding among Thais, leading them to a
clean and fair election and narrowing their different opinions."
Human rights groups have criticised the poll as a sham, given that
nearly half of Thailand's 76 provinces remain under martial law
and that a "No" vote would have allowed the army to impose any one
of the previous 17 constitutions. A full official result is
expected on Monday.
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