Then, in a pomp-filled ceremony, the king presented the signed charter to the leader of the Thai junta in an ornate throne room full of white-clad political dignitaries and foreign dignitaries.
However, in an indication of the opacity surrounding all things royal in Thailand, authorities haven’t yet published the wording of those latest sections.
Thailand has grappled with greater than a decade of political instability that has hampered the event of what was once one among the fastest-growing economies within the region.
During a period often known as the “lost decade”, Thais saw repeated series of deadly protests, a series of short-lived governments and two military coups.
The statute won universal approval in a referendum last August, although the junta banned political campaigns against it and the general public was unaware of the brand new king’s desire to alter it.
Analysts say the newest structure harkens back to the Cold War era, when Thailand’s elected lawmakers were often controlled by unelected bodies and committees in what many call a “managed democracy.”
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a policy expert at Chulalongkorn University, said the document was significantly different from Thailand’s most liberal charter, the so-called “People’s Constitution” of 1997
“The new charter reverses the progress in citizen representation that culminated in the constitution adopted in 1997,” he said.
“Now appointments are being restored en masse at the expense of elected representatives.”
The political split in the dominion essentially pits rural and poor supporters of deposed prime ministers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra against the military-backed middle class and business elite of Bangkok.
Shinawatra-affiliated parties have won every election since 2001. Their opponents accuse them of corruption and harmful populist policies.
In addition to appointing an upper house, the brand new structure strengthens the intervention powers of the country’s constitutional court and makes it easier to question a civilian leader.
Following royal assent, the junta’s editorial committee will now draw up a series of organic laws that critics fear could further weaken political parties which were banned from organizing because the coup.
The military says the charter will help cleanse Thailand of corrupt civilian politicians and increase the opportunity of holding elections by mid-2018 after it’s signed.
They also announced that they’d draw up a “20-year plan” for the country, which each and every future government could be obliged to follow.
This week, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawtra, who has been embroiled in a negligence lawsuit since a coup that threatened her with prison, expressed hope that the statute would speed the dominion’s return to democracy.
This article appeared within the print edition of the South China Morning Post as: The king signs a brand new structure, strengthening the junta
