King Maha Vajiralongkorn Signs New Constitution

In an elaborate ceremony in the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall on Thursday, King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand signed the 20th Thai Constitution.

The new constitution sets into motion general elections to be held no later than October 2018, but also strengthens the political influence of the military as the constitution states that future governments must “follow the military’s 20-year development plan”.

An August 2016 referendum gave approval to the new constitution, however since he came to the throne in October, King Maha Vajiralongkorn has made several (some unknown) changes to the document. One is believed to be the removal of the requirement for a regent to be appointed when the monarch is out of the country (the King spends a fair amount of time in Germany, where he has a home).

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Tagged King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand.