Kingdom of Thailand: Referendum, 7 August 2016

At stake in this referendum:

• This referendum will determine if Thailand will adopt a new constitution.

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946)
• Head of Government: Interim Prime Minister Gen. PRAYUT Chan-ocha (since 25 August 2014)
• Assembly: The legislative branch is in a transitional state. The current National Legislative Assembly replaced the former National Assembly following the 2014 military coup. The National Legislative Assembly may comprise no more than 220 members (there currently are 197), and all current members were selected by the military.

Electoral requirements:

• According to the 2007 Constitution of Thailand, referendums require a simple majority of votes cast to be accepted.

About the referendum:

• The referendum will determine if Thailand will adopt a new constitution. The new constitution calls for the creation of a new Senate with all members appointed by the military junta, as opposed to present partially elected setup. Additionally, six seats in the Senate would be reserved for the heads of the armed forces. The new constitution also would contain a provision allowing for the Assembly to appoint a prime minister in the event of a deadlock vote.

Main provisions in the referendum:

• The referendum ballot will present voters with 2 questions:
  • One is whether to approve or reject the new constitution.
  • The other is whether to agree that the next Senate and members of parliament should be allowed to choose a prime minister.

Population and number of registered voters:

·         Population: 67,976,405 (July 2015 est.)

·         Registered Voters: 43,024,000 (2014)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 34,582,327 (July 2015 est.)

·         Is Thailand a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Thailand ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (9 August 1985)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 12 (6.09%)

·         Human Development Index Position: 93

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low

Disability Data:

·         Is Thailand a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Thailand ratified CRPD: Yes (29 July 2008)

·         Population with a disability: 10,196,461