Draft Charter Ready For Vote

[Jingthing]

Well, it does look like the 15 percent margin of victory for yes is holding up.

Note that the measure won handily in every region except the Northeast where it lost, and the North where it won but not by much. In other words again, not close.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/20...es_30045716.php

Edited August 19, 2007 by Jingthing

[cdnvic]

Well, it does look like the 15 percent margin of victory for yes is holding up.

Note that the measure won handily in every region except the Northeast where it lost, and the North where it won but not by much. In other words again, not close.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/20...es_30045716.php

That's the whole crux of the political situation here. The split isn't left vs right as it is in many countries, it's urban vs rural. The big impetuous for the coup was the Bangkok elites losing too much of their power to the regions.

[LaoPo]

THAILAND: PM claims Thais accept new constitution

Last Updated 20/08/2007, 01:13:02

Thailand's prime minister says the people accepted a new constitution in today's historic referendum vote, after early counting indicated that more than two-thirds of voters approved the document.

General Surayud Chulanont is claming a victory after today's vote.

More than 30-million Thais took part in the kingdom's first-ever referendum.

The charter was controversial, with critics claiming it would further empower the military, which seized control in last year's coup.

But the "no" campaigners have failed to convince the Thai people to reject the document. Prime Minister Surayud says the result will lead to elections later in the year, most likely in December.

From: ABC Australia.

BUT: the last numbers I could find:

Yes : 14,249,520 Votes

No : 10,419,912 Votes

Void : 479,715 Votes

LaoPo

[Jai Dee]

EC Chairman declines to express opinions on referendum results in the Northeast

Chairman of the Election Commission (EC) Apichart Sukhagganond (อภิชาต สุขัคคานนท์) declines to express his opinions on the vote “no” result in the Northeastern region.

However, the chairman says he is satisfied with the turnout as more voters have exercised their voting right in the referendum than the last general election. As for more “no” votes than “yes” in the Northeast, the chairman says he does not want to say anything about the matter and affirms EC respects the decision of all eligible voters. He adds that EC will take maximum legal actions against those violating the referendum law by paying money for “no” votes.

Unofficial referendum results were expected at 09.00 p.m. last night while official results will be announced at 12.00 a.m. today (Monday 20th).

The chairman reports that EC has received 173 complaints from 87,950 polling stations nationwide. Most of the complaints concern vote buying. There are four voters destroying the ballots in the provinces of Ayutthaya, Roi Et, Ang Thong, and Buriram. Punishments for them include an imprisonment of not exceeding one year and a fine of not exceeding 20,000 baht.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 August 2007

[LaoPo]

Thai voters 'approve new charter'

Gen Surayud said the charter would go to the king shortly

Thailand's military coup leaders have won a referendum on a new constitution by a large margin, taking around 70% of Sunday's vote, exit polls suggest.

It was the first vote to be held since Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted by the army last year and replaced with Gen Surayud Chulanont.

About 60% of voters turned out, according to the election commission.

Thaksin supporters had urged a No vote, saying the new constitution had been drafted by an illegitimate government.

But Prime Minister Surayud said the result marked a victory.

"We consider that this constitution has been approved by the people, and by the end of August the constitution will be submitted to the king for endorsement," he told national television.

He said that the vote meant elections to restore democracy would be held by the end of the year.

This referendum was about a lot more than the 194-page constitution which few Thais are likely to have read, the BBC's Jonathan Head reports from Bangkok - it was also a vote on the coup itself.

Rest of article here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6953456.stm

LaoPo

[Jai Dee]

PM reaffirms election to be held late 2007

Thailand's interim Prime Minister Gen. Surayud Chulanont Sunday affirmed that the general election will be held late this year shortly after exit polls showed that the draft constitution was approved in the national referendum held earlier yesterday.

Speaking during an interview on government-run TV Channel 11 shortly after polling booths were closed at 4 pm local time (0900 GMT), Gen. Surayud said the exact date for conducting the general election is still under consideration and that he believed the most suitable date was following His Majesty the King's birthday on December 5.

The victory in the referendum for the draft constitution -- held for the first time in Thailand -- showed that the government had passed its test and it is now a good opportunity for people to listen to policies of the political parties which will contest in the election, said Gen. Surayud.

The old power clique would now have less political opportunities while other parties will have chances to perform political activities if the referendum is considered as decisive factor, said Gen. Surayud.

Gen. Surayud said his government would now look after national security, the economy and issue new laws while awaiting new government which would come from the election.

He said he personally believed that the new constitution should be enforced between four to five years and amendments could be made later if problems were found.

By 5.55 pm local time (1055 GMT), official counts showed that 1,824,913 voters nationwide gave their approval to the draft charter while 1,201,909 had rejected it. Final results were expected late Sunday.

Source: TNA - 20 August 2007

[marshbags]

Thai voters 'approve new charter'

Gen Surayud said the charter would go to the king shortly

Thailand's military coup leaders have won a referendum on a new constitution by a large margin, taking around 70% of Sunday's vote, exit polls suggest.

It was the first vote to be held since Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted by the army last year and replaced with Gen Surayud Chulanont.

About 60% of voters turned out, according to the election commission.

Thaksin supporters had urged a No vote, saying the new constitution had been drafted by an illegitimate government.

But Prime Minister Surayud said the result marked a victory.

"We consider that this constitution has been approved by the people, and by the end of August the constitution will be submitted to the king for endorsement," he told national television.

He said that the vote meant elections to restore democracy would be held by the end of the year.

This referendum was about a lot more than the 194-page constitution which few Thais are likely to have read, the BBC's Jonathan Head reports from Bangkok - it was also a vote on the coup itself.

Rest of article here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6953456.stm

LaoPo

Statisics are showing that there was a bigger turn out for this important vote than did so in the last Thaksin / TRT, now disbanded.

The peoples voice is there for all hear.

So, if the coup was a bad thing, Why did the majority of Thailands citizens support it ???????

Please let,s not get the usual clap trap of intimidation as an excuse.

Accept the result and like those who lost the referendum, get behind this democratically approved new start and look to the future. ( Democratically as in by the citizens of Thailand )

As my wife said when told to vote NO by a mouth piece of the local Puyai.

Do not take me for a non educated fool, and went on to vote for herself on how she thinks is in the best interest of my country.

Not hearsay but actual fact and without fabrication, she has long been angry and frustrated at what has been going on in the last few years.

She is not alone anymore as the vote shows

By the way she spent most of last night watching the news and switched it on immediately on getting up, not even going for her sacred early morning rituals in the bathroom.

This has never happened in our house before and for me says much about the interest and desire the majority have shown during the last 24 hours.

Just in case she is seen as insignificant, their are around 15 million plus who thought likewise

This figure reminds me of an infamous orchestrated victory not so long ago

marshbags

P.S.

Let us hope that the obvious disapproval in the N.East is looked into and addressed.

( Not as in " witch hunt " but genuine reconciliation ) IMHO

Edited August 20, 2007 by marshbags

[Somtham]

To clear this up. Every ballot paper had a tear off part at the top which you sign or put a thumb print on and is checked against ID card and electoral role. It is then removed and the vote box completed with your name no longer attached but as a record if any challenges or checks are needed. It is thus impossible to work out which name voted which way.

Nope, no clearing up needed. They asked her to sign both slips. The tear off and the voting ballot.

rgds

[Jai Dee]

12.93 million voters say Yes to charter: unofficial results

Unofficial results compiled from provincial election offices nationwide found that 12.93 million voters approved the draft constitution while 9.3 million others rejected it.

The ballot counting was completed at 2 am Monday.

The results have yet to be endorsed by the Election Commission.

According to the unofficial results, 23.01 voters exercised their right.

Source: The Nation - 20 August 2007

[Jai Dee]

'Yes' vote paves way for poll

Poll officials report a medium turnout of voters

The draft charter sailed through the national referendum by a margin of about three votes to two - not good enough to reconcile a divided nation but a sufficient mandate to pave the way for a general election in December.

The Election Commission estimated voter turnout of 25 million, or 56.8 per cent of all 44.2 million eligible voters.

The EC's preliminary results from 95 per cent of the poll stations in the country's first-ever national referendum showed that 56.7 per cent of Thais (about 14.3 million voters) voted to support the new constitution, compared to 41.4 per cent (10.2 million voters) who voted against it. There were about 1.9 per cent of spoiled ballots.

But the Northeast region showed it still belonged to the defunct Thai Rak Thai Party's base by a wide margin, with "no" votes of 63 per cent and "yes" votes of only 36 per cent.

The Election Commission announced that it would not officially declare the outcome of the referendum until today because it needed more time to count all the votes.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont confirmed yesterday the general election would take place before the end of the year following His Majesty the King's 80th birthday on December 5.

"A definite election date will be announced after a royal command for the promulgation of the new constitution and the completion of the legislative process for organic laws relating to elections," he said.

He hinted at a tentative date of either December 16 or December 23 - both Sundays.

His comments came after three exit polls showed the referendum had passed.

Charter writers have completed writing draft organic legislation. The law required them to do so within 45 days of the July completion of the constitution. The National Legislative Assembly now has 30 days to deliberate on those laws.

Surayud called on political rivals to accept the referendum, saying the majority had spoken - although minority voices would be respected, too.

He ruled out the possibility of the military continuing to engage in politics following the election.

"I don't think anyone can execute a plan for power succession because the people won't allow it," he said in answer to a question about junta chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin's political aspirations.

The vote to approve the charter means the people decided to advance democratic rule through elections. It cannot be construed as an endorsement of military involvement in politics, he said.

"My government will not form a political party nor contest the elections; the future is up to political parties," he said.

"I believe the people cast referendum votes because they want to overcome the political crisis."

Council for National Security chief Sonthi yesterday blamed poor public relations for the small margin of victory in the eyes of the voters.

Interviewed over the phone from Malaysia, Sonthi said the public did not get the message from the government campaign on the constitution draft.

"The campaign also did not reach out to them effectively,'' he said.

Asked if he believed the result of the referendum showed that Thai Rak Thai's political bases in the North and Northeast regions were still strong, Sonthi said political parties in the rival camp to Thai Rak Thai would face a tough fight in the election.

"What happened [yesterday] is a lesson on how to solve the country's future problems. It is good since we can see through things,'' he said.

Asked if the referendum result would affect his decision to enter politics, Sonthi said no. "Whatever I do, I do it for the sake of the country and peace."

He said after he retired he would continue to be CNS chief until the government ends its term. He will answer whether he will enter politics on September 30.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva called for a fresh start in Thai politics. He asked all groups in the ongoing political conflict to bury their past and start anew.

Abhisit said referendum day should be used as Day 1 for Thailand to move forward.

"I would like the conflicts to become a thing of the past and I don't want our country to further lose its chance to move on," Abhisit said.

The Thai Rak Thai group's leading members held a press conference to announce their acceptance of the results of the referendum and will push for amendments to improve the next constitution.

Chaturon Chaisang said the group would accept the results of the referendum, although they saw that it was not organised in line with democratic principles.

"We will try to help maintain reconciliation in society and will not push for a new referendum," Chaturon said.

"And in the future we will propose amendments to make the charter more democratic."

Advocates of the "Vote No" campaign last night closely monitored the results and were satisfaction at the high percentage of voters rejecting the draft.

"It's a wonderful surprise that the 'no' vote count is as high as 40 per cent," said Asst Prof Somchai Preechasilpakul, dean of Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Law and a prominent anti-charter campaigner.

"Such a close margin between the 'yes' and 'no' votes makes us wonder what the result would be if the plebiscite were held under a democratic atmosphere and a more trustworthy Election Commission."

The Stock Exchange of Thailand's index is set to surge today with the passage of the charter as investors will be buoyed by the prospects of Thailand returning to democratic rule and Friday's move of the US Federal Reserve to cut the discount rate to shore up financial markets.

Maris Tarab, chairman of the Association of Investment Management Companies, said the result should boost market sentiment today. He made his comment at 6pm when the preliminary vote count showed 2.242 million people had accepted the draft charter, as against 1.532 million opposed.

Maris said: "The Thai market should rise for two reasons. First, of course, the referendum result shows that the political situation should become more stable as the general election is expected soon. Secondly, the market should get the benefits from the surge in the US markets on Friday."

Source: The Nation - 20 August 2007

[AGareth2]

I watched the news this morning , in which a Chiang Mai lady was interviewed and asked why she voted YES. Her reply was that she wanted to stop all the troubles, not that she agreed with the charter. Maybe a lot of Thais just want an end to the bickering and get back to Democracy.

[Jai Dee]

Election body gets 173 complaints

Vote buying, gifts, parties and free tours among the list of reported violations

The Election Commission received 173 complaints of violations in yesterday's referendum, secretary Suthipol Thaweechaikan said.

Meanwhile, the independent monitoring group People's Network for Elections in Thailand, or P-Net, reported vote buying and distribution of objects in several parts of the Northeast by those seeking rejection of the draft constitution.

The complaints received by the commission between August 10 and yesterday involved alleged vote buying, distribution of objects, free parties and tours, and illegal rallies.

Suthipol said after polls closed at 4pm that 70 complaints came from Bangkok and its surrounding provinces - the highest of all regions. That was followed by the Northeast, with 64 complaints, Central and the North with 17 complaints each, and five in the South.

The agency will investigate.

Suthipol added voters had been arrested for ballot destruction, which is against the law. These incidents took place in Ayutthaya, Roi Et, Angthong, Buri Ram, and Samut Prakan. Four alleged offenders said they misunderstood instructions and one admitted to doing so in protest.

The commission said any protest must be lodged within 24 hours, or by 4pm today. Complaints must be supported by at least 10 per cent of eligible voters registered at the polling station in which they occurred.

Meanwhile, P-Net secretary Varin Thiemjaras said yesterday vote buying and distribution of items, such as T-shirts and compact discs, was rife in the Northeast.

In Phitsanulok and Sakon Nakhon, some pro-government community radio stations broadcast appeals for voters to support the constitution draft, he said.

P-Net coordinator Boonma Pongma said yesterday there were fewer ballot papers than the number of eligible voters at more than 10 polling stations in Lat Phrao, Bang Kapi and Wang Thonglang districts.

Lat Phrao district chief Duangporn Wattakawanit said there were slightly fewer ballots than voters. She said it was rare for all eligible voters to participate. However, if that occurred, there were extra ballots available.

In a related development, the commission asked police to take action against a former Thai Rak Thai party member of Parliament for Buri Ram for allegedly handing out money and encouraging voters to vote no, a senior police officer said yesterday.

Former MP Sophon Saram was accused of giving Bt200 to voters in Buri Ram to vote against the charter, Colonel Jarungvit Pumma said. He is in charge of investigating vote buying.

The commission heard of the alleged vote buying during a recent visit to the province by its chief Suchart Sukakanond.

It asked police to investigate similar allegations in Kamphaeng Phet, Ratchaburi and Nakhon Phanom.

Meanwhile, police General Wichien Pojpoesri, the commission investigation chairman, said a police centre received 17 complaints over the referendum - 15 of which involved alleged distortion of charter content with the intention to mislead.

They are being treated as violations of election laws.

A suspect, Wiraj Insri, 38, was arrested in Kamphaeng Phet on August 12 after police found him distributing leaflets containing incorrect charter information. About 4,000 leaflets were confiscated. Wiraj said police Sergeant Apayan Keeta had hired him.

Wichien said Apayan had been transferred after admitting to producing the material. He was found in possession of tens of thousands of the leaflets.

In Na Pho district of Buri Ram, three people were arrested on suspicion of giving cash to voters and encouraging them to vote against the charter.

Source: The Nation - 20 August 2007

[Mid]

98 per cent votes counted and voter turnout is 56.5 per cent - Sodsri

August 20, 2007 : Last updated 08:59 am

Election Commission's member Sodsri Sattayatham said Monday that 98 per cent of votes is counted and voter turnout of the Sunday referendum for the draft charter was 56.5 per cent.

As of 8am, 57 per cent of voters voted yes for the draft and 41 per cent voted no, she said.

She singled out each region as follows;

Yes (%) No (%)

Bangkok 65.7 34.2

Central 66.8 32.1

Northeast 36.5 63,4

North 53.7 41,2

South 87.7 12.2

nationmultimedia.com

[pete_r]

Well, it does look like the 15 percent margin of victory for yes is holding up.

Note that the measure won handily in every region except the Northeast where it lost, and the North where it won but not by much. In other words again, not close.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/20...es_30045716.php

Another way of presenting the same data is to point out that the No vote got a majority of 61.6% in the most populated region of Thailand (15,635,769 eligible voters).

This will have to be taken into account by whoever controls the future governement.

Data from http://202.60.199.51/en/?zone=0 at 8.30am on 20/08/2007.

[cmsally]

I haven't looked at the result in detail, but I know a lot of people who only voted yes because they thought their businesses and livelihoods would improve with a new election etc. They didn't vote for the constitution (in fact they were against), they voted for a stable economic situation (of course there is no guarantee they will get it). In their view it was a vote against trouble.

More worrying was a quote from Gen Sonthi on the news this morning - democracy didn't start yesterday - it started last September.

[Mid]

More worrying was a quote from Gen Sonthi on the news this morning - democracy didn't start yesterday - it started last September

nationmultimedia.com

[Sanpatong]

Well well.. Even the folks at The Nation scratching their heads... Too late now, smart-folks.

Edited August 20, 2007 by Sanpatong

[PeaceBlondie]

How abou this: the constitutional referendum passed by a substantial margin, against very heavy opposition, showing that for whatever reasons they voted (and barely half voted), the next government will have to balance the demands of a divided population.

[highdiver]

How abou this: the constitutional referendum passed by a substantial margin, against very heavy opposition, showing that for whatever reasons they voted (and barely half voted), the next government will have to balance the demands of a divided population.

YES!!! finally some sense...

[Jai Dee]

Democrat and People Power see the need to amend constitution

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva (อภิสิทธิ์ เวชชาชีวะ) says the result of the 2007 constitution referendum reflects political implication, and it has to be considered as all votes must be properly fulfilled and taken care of.

If the 2007 constitution draft has been approved in the referendum, Mr. Abhisit believes the charter will certainly be amended in the future in order to resolve various problems and obstacles.

Meanwhile, People Power core member Surapong Suebwonglee (สุรพงษ์ สืบวงศ์ลี) says he is ready to accept the public decision and is prepared for the upcoming general election. He says the constitution amendment will have to be considered as it would benefit the people and their country in the long-run.

Dr. Surapong says the People Power Party will gather all local problems to assess and analyze them before making a public announcement.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 August 2007

[Jai Dee]

EC says referendum results show that people see importance of charter draft

Election Commission Sodsri Satayatham (สดศรี สัตยธรรม) says the result of the referendum has clearly shown the importance of the constitution draft amongst citizens.

Mrs Sodsri says EC is satisfied with the referendum results despite the close gap between the no and yes votes. EC will announce the official referendum results today by 12.00 p.m. and will then submit them to the Constitution Drafting Assembly.

There were four cases of ballot destroying. Objection against the referendum results can be done within 24 hours.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 August 2007

[Jai Dee]

PMs Office Minister Dhipavadee is happy w/ referendum result

Prime Minister’s Office Minister Dhipavadee Meksawan (ทิพาวดี เมฆสวรรค์) is satisfied with the result of the 2007 constitution referendum as it would expedite the general election.

Khunying Dhipavadee says the unofficial referendum result says more than 50 percent of the total votes have approved the 2007 constitution draft, and the figure is satisfying. Therefore, she would like to thank the voters for pushing Thailand’s politics forward smoothly.

She has also asked public members to respect the referendum result as it is part of the democratic process. She says people have different views but they have to accept the result in order to move forward. She says the interim government is prepared for the upcoming general election by the end of this year, with an aim to create a reconciling society.

Khunying Dhipavadee says the government is working on economic and social issues as well as submitting laws for the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to consider.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 August 2007

[hammered]

Well it looks like the charter fight is over with a clear although not emphatic majority and the opponents accepting defeat. On to the election. Lots of olive branches around today in the politicians speeches. Time for party strategists to examine the results at a provincial level and for MPs to decide which party to run under. The real fun starts here.

[Jai Dee]

Supreme Commander says referendum result is a good start for Thai politics

Council for National Security (CNS) member and Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit (บุญสร้าง เนียมประดิษฐ์) says the result of the 2007 constitution referendum is a good start for Thai politics.

Gen. Boonsrang says the approval of the new charter draft means the next general election will be held by year's end. He says the CNS accepts the referendum result and would like all sides not to be too confident yet since the approval and disapproval votes are close. He believes the incomplete constitution can still be amended in the future. He also calls for Thai people to love one another and be united to allow the country to progress and develop.

In addition, Gen. Boonsrang says army officials can enter politics since they have the right to do so in a democratic society.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 August 2007

[Mid]

Democrat and People Power see the need to amend constitution

would have expected that they could have at least let the ink dry ...............................................

[Jai Dee]

CNS Chairman thanks Thai people for voting in referendum

The Royal Thai Army Commander-in-Chief and Council for National Security (CNS) Chairman, Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin (สนธิ บุญยรัตกลิน), is delighted with the outcome of the 2007 constitution referendum.

Gen. Sonthi says on behalf of the interim government that he would like to express his appreciation to the Thai people since the majority of them were voting for the 2007 constitution draft. He says the government can now expedite the election, and peace and order would be attained.

Gen. Sonthi demands all parties to respect the referendum with full spirits

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 August 2007

[Jai Dee]

EC to endorse charter at 4 pm, submit official referendum results to CDA at 5 pm

The election commissioners will sign their name to endorse the draft constitution and official results of the draft constitution at 4 pm Monday, EC commissioner Sodsri Satayatham said.

She said the official results will be submitted to the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Assembly at 5 pm.

Source: The Nation - 20 August 2007

[hammered]

Democrat and People Power see the need to amend constitution

would have expected that they could have at least let the ink dry ...............................................

It does give them an opportunity to cosy up together on a shared interest. It also sounds a bit Gen Sonthi, wasnt that always his arguement - oh you can change it later?

[Mid]

Gen. Sonthi demands

Soldiers should be soldiers and leave politics to politicians , 'tis obvious the pair don't mix ,

demand indeed ...........................

[John K]

Gen. Sonthi demands

Soldiers should be soldiers and leave politics to politicians , 'tis obvious the pair don't mix ,

demand indeed ...........................

Perhaps a better choice of words could have been selected. However with all this said and done it is time to move on to the next sticking point that seems to be a concern of people. At least I see it as when Sonthi steps down in the very near future, will the new military boss have the same goal or will he decide he likes to be in charge? Not too much press on that but certainly the buzz with the business folks.