An Interim Constitution and Prime Minister for Thailand

Thailand has been experience some political turmoil over the last year. It began with protests, which lead to the government dissolving. The protests continued and new elections were held, though the election was declared void. Then, in May there was a bloodless coup d’etat, and the junta has been promising to make strides back towards democracy. Recently, they’ve created an interim constitution and appointed an interim Prime Minister.

Close Watch on Yingluck Shinawatra, former PM

The deposed prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was given permission to go to Europe to celebrate her brother Thaksin’s birthday. She was restricted from any sort of political activity or organizing while on this trip, under the very real and credible threat from the junta of severe consequences.

There were some questions as to whether she would return to Thailand, or remain outside of the country, in self-exile just as her brother, however she returned with little complications.

Reconciliation and Restore Happiness

Around the country there have been numerous reconciliation events. A friend was able to attend one, strictly as an observer, and told me that the participants divided up into separate rooms based on their profession or sector of society.

My friend observed the local government room and said that there was a lot of thoughtful discussion about how to move forward and to create a better government. It should also be mentioned that my friend is in Isaan, which is known as a stronghold of support for the Shinawatras.

In addition to the reconciliation events, there have also been a number of events related to the military’s “Restore Happiness” campaign. From free movie tickets to free hair cuts to free broadcasting of the World Cup, the military has staged a number of publicity events to “bring happiness back to the Thai people.”

I find this to be an interesting tactic since one of the chief complaints of anti-government protesters was that the government “bought” votes by supplying a universal healthcare system among other things.

Chilling Effect and Clamping Down on Protests

There has also been a massive chilling effect of any kind of dissent against the military regime. Protests were quickly quashed with participants detained and arrested. Veiled threats against potential protesters were made in the weekly address made by General Prayuth and many people who oppose the coup have fled the country.

Recently, anti-coup flyers were spread around a street in Bangkok, under the cover of the night. There are many reports put out that say that the majority of Thai people support the coup, but because most of these polls are conducted at the behest of the military, people are under threat for opposing the coup and Thai culture of not wanting to rock the boat and maintain face. I find these polling results to be highly suspect.

Suspension of Democracy

Democracy across the country has been suspended for the time being, and not just at a national level. Local government elections are being postponed indefinitely.

Another PCV told me that her nayok, basically mayor, had finished their term and that her community would not be getting a new one until all elections could resume. This has caused a disruption for her because all the office budgets, including for her projects, need to be signed off on by the nayok. But now there isn’t one to sign anything, and so she sit in limbo and is trying to find other places and organizations to partner with, since her Peace Corps assigned office has been rendered ineffective.

Interim Constitution and Government Structure

But the biggest update on the situation to share is the interim constitution put out by the military, which lays out the groundwork for the writing and adoption of a new constitution and the selection of General Prayuth as the interim prime minister.

The interim constitution was released on July 22, two months after the military dissolved the government. The constitution laid out that there would be a National Legislative Assembly (NLA), made up of 220 people, minimum age of 40, from all different sectors of society and are all appointed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NPCO), the name the junta has given itself.

People who had participated in politics in the last three years were disqualified, as well as anyone who had previously been removed from office. Interesting that the last democratic elections that were held in Thailand happened three years ago as well. The NLA will take on the role of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Interim Prime Minister

The NLA will then appoint the interim prime minister, who must be at least 40, have a bachelor’s degree and may not be on any other government committee/council/commission. So for those following along, the National Legislative Assembly, which was picked by the military, has selected General Prayuth to be the interim prime minister. It should also be noted that there were no dissenting votes nor any other candidates offered up for this position.

Continuing Reforms

The constitution also lays out a National Reform Council (NRC), which echos the calls of the anti-government protestors for “reforms before election.” The NRC will consider and propose reforms for at least 10 different areas of Thai society.

The NRC will have 250 members and has the same selection criteria and the NLA.  There were other guidelines that were laid out for the selection of the NRC as well, which included that members of the committees should be chosen from a line of experts, include someone from every province and that people of a diverse background should be considered, including “all genders and those less-privileged.”

Drafting a New Constitution

There is also a Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC), whose chairman is appointed by the NPCO. The rest of the committee will include 20 members appointed by the NRC, five members appointed by the NLA, five members appointed by the Cabinet and 5 members appointed by the NPCO.

So the constitution will be written by a handful of people who were either handpicked by the military, or picked by people who were handpicked by the military. The CDC will have 120 days to draft a new constitution which will be approved by the NRC.

However, if the CDC fails to present a draft, the Committee will be dissolved and the process will begin anew with all new members. If the NRC fails to approve the draft or takes longer than the 15-day window, the CDC and the NRC will all be dissolved and replaced and again, the process will begin again.

There has been no mention of a public referendum on the new constitution.

The interim constitution also contains an article that generally states that whatever the head of the NPCO wants to do, step in to take action, call meetings, veto, etc. he has the power to do. It also ends with an amnesty article declaring that anything related to the coup, whether outlawed in the future or found to be inappropriate, the people involved are “free of fault or guilt.”