Thailand deliberates new constitution

Deliberations began yesterday on a new Thai constitution, which includes clauses to stop parties winning a majority and allows unelected officials to govern, in a bid by the Thai junta to end a near-decade of political turmoil.

However, the charter is widely seen as an assault on the electoral success of the former ruling Shinawatra clan.

Parties led-by or aligned-to Thaksin Shinawatra's billionaire family have won every election since 2001, prompting two coups backed by the royalist establishment and nearly a decade of acrimony that has frequently spilled into violence.

The junta-appointed National Reform Council yesterday began a week of discussion on the draft charter, a process which could see the document receive royal endorsement by September.

Thailand's constitution has undergone more than a dozen re-writes since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932.

The leaders of last May's coup say another new charter is needed to soothe Thailand's caustic divides ahead of fresh elections slated for next year.

Borwornsak Uwanno, chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, said yesterday the new charter "will not allow a majority government which can become a parliamentary dictatorship."

Speaking in the televised debate he denied it was "a blueprint" to end the domination of the Shinawatras, but would instead empower the Thai people at the expense of politicians.

Under the draft, future elections will be decided by a proportional representation system similar to Germany's that will favour smaller parties and coalition governments.