Thai voters approve new constitution

(Vatican Radio) Voters in Thailand have approved a new Constitution. The text gives the military greater veto power over elected officials, and as Alastair Wanklyn reports, it also allows for promoting Buddhism as the state religion.

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Just over half of voters cast ballots, with three in five of them approving the new text, which will create a Constitution to replace the one thrown out in a military coup two years ago.

The referendum was seen as the greatest test yet of public opinion on the rule of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan Ocha, who seized power, he said, to end turmoil between the government and opposition.

When the new Constitution is enacted it will bar politicians from office if they have been convicted of corruption. It will also give unelected lawmakers, including those appointed by the military, significant veto power over politics.

The new Constitution will allow Thais to identify with any religion, but it will require the government to “promote” Buddhism, which more than nine out of 10 Thais follow. Earlier constitutions stopped short of naming Buddhism as the state religion. This one will require the state to take measures to “prevent the desecration of Buddhism.”

The text also protects the dignity of the individual, but it says religious and personal freedoms may be overridden in the public interest.