Thailand to Hold New Draft Constitution Referendum on August 7

A national referendum on the draft of a new constitution will be held on August 7 in Thailand, according to the state’s Constitution Drafting Commission.

BANGKOK (Sputnik) – Thailand will hold a referendum on its new draft constitution on August 7, the state’s Constitution Drafting Commission said in a document published on the Thai government’s legal portal Tuesday.

"The Constitutional Commission submitted the full text of the new draft constitution for discussion to the Cabinet of Ministers and Parliament. A national referendum on the draft of a new constitution will be held on August 7," the document read.

Meechai Ruchuphan, the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Commission, said at a press conference on Tuesday the draft document had been amended 88 times based on 258 citizen submissions and 30 academic seminars.

Thailand’s previous draft constitution failed to pass a parliamentary vote. Experts believe the latest draft will go through both the cabinet and parliament, but are uncertain over the constitution’s fate in a public vote.

Among the draft constitution’s disputed sections is an emergency provision allowing the appointment of an unelected prime minister and the upper house of parliament.

Thailand’s current government came into power following a May 22, 2014 military coup nearly a year after a political crisis had led to mass anti-government protests.