2007 Thai constitutional referendum

A referendum on the new constitution was held in Thailand on 19 August 2007.[1] Had the draft been rejected, the military government would have had the freedom to choose any previous constitution to adapt and promulgate instead. The turnout was around 60%.[2]

Thai constitutional referendum, 2007

19 August 2007
Do you approve or disapprove of the draft constitution?
Results
Response Votes % Approve 14,727,306 57.81% Disapprove 10,747,441 42.19% Valid votes 25,474,747 98.06% Invalid or blank votes 504,207 1.94% Total votes 25,978,954 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 45,092,955 57.61%
Results by provinces
On the map, the darker shades for a colour indicate a larger margin.

Proposed changes

Major changes in the proposed constitution included the following:[3]

• Making almost half of Senators appointed rather than elected.
• Limiting the Prime Minister to 2 four-year terms.
• Banning the Prime Minister from major holdings in private companies.
• Making it easier to impeach the Prime Minister and other ministers.

The military government announced that each household in the country would be sent a copy of the new constitution ahead of the referendum.[3] A poll from July had seen a majority of voters in favour.[4] However, in many cases "yes" votes were not real indicators of support for the new text but rather for quick elections, as the ruling Council for National Security (CNS) has stated that approval of the new constitution was a requirement for holding parliamentary elections later that year.[5]

Results

Choice	Votes	%
For	14,727,306	57.81
Against	10,747,441	42.19
Invalid/blank votes	504,207	–
Total	25,978,954	100
Registered voters/turnout	45,092,955	57.61
Source: Direct Democracy

By region

Region	For		Against		Turnout (%)
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Central Thailand	5,714,973	66.53	2,874,674	33.47	57.72
Southern Thailand	3,214,506	88.30	425,883	11.70	59.31
Northeast Thailand	3,050,182	37.20	5,149,957	62.80	54.39
Northern Thailand	2,747,645	54.47	2,296,927	45.53	62.06
Total	14,727,306	57.81	10,747,441	42.19	57.61

By province

There were considerable differences in the approval rates between the regions of Thailand. In six provinces of Southern Thailand (Chumphon, Trang, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Surat Thani, Ranong), the approval topped 90%. On the other hand, in 24 provinces in Northern and Northeastern Thailand there was a majority against the draft. In two provinces in the far Northeast (Nakhon Phanom, Roi Et), the rejection even topped 75%.

References

1. Panel passes final draft of new Thai constitution, paving way for referendum, elections Associated Press, 6 July 2007
2. Thai voters 'approve new charter' BBC News, 19 August 2007
3. Thai draft constitution approved BBC News, 6 July 2007
4. Thais Would Approve New Constitution Angus Reid Global Monitor, 27 July 2007
5. McCargo, Duncan (2008), "Thailand: State of Anxiety", Southeast Asian Affairs 2008, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, p. 338