Thailand's junta-appointed reform council on Sunday
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 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 "crisis."
If it had
been passed it stood to become Thailand's 20th constitution in 83 years.
The whole
process of writing a constitution must now start from scratch and the earliest
an election could be held would be April 2017, delaying a return to the junta's
long promised "true democracy."
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 early 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 who said there
had been much behind the scenes lobbying. Those against it said it was too
problematic.
"They're
worried about political problems in the future," council member Paiboon
Nititawan told reporters. "There may still be conflicts and economic
problems that need this government to continue to manage for a while."
A bone of
contention was a late addition to the draft, the creation of a National
Committee on Reform and Reconciliation Strategy. That committee would be
dominated by military, allowing it to exercise power over the executive and
legislative branches in a vaguely defined "crisis" situation.
The
government now has a month to appoint a committee that would have 180 days to
draft a new constitution, followed by a referendum some three months after.
The draft
charter drew a torrent of criticism. Politicians called it a blueprint for a
managed democracy that weakens elected parliaments and governments.
Experts have
said it effectively gave the establishment and military the means to intervene
in politics either directly, or by proxy through lawmakers and panels appointed
by the junta.
In a
televised address on Friday, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said a rejection
of the constitution for being undemocratic would be "unfair to the
people."
NRC member
Seri Suwanpanon said passing it would have created more uncertainty.
"We see
in front of us an abyss," he told reporters. "So are we going to jump
in?"
Reuters
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