Thailand's parliament voted Saturday to pave the way for a rewrite of the military-backed 2007 constitution. After a two-day debate, both houses voted to permit a redrafting of the charter written after the September 2006 coup toppled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thailand has had 18 constitutions since 1932, when the absolute monarchy was replaced by a constitutional one. The Pheu Thai Party that came to power last year takes its orders from Thaksin, who has been living abroad to avoid a prison sentence for abuse of power. His sister Yingluck Shinawatra is the current prime minister. The 2007 charter was written to address some problems posed by his two-term premiership from 2001-06, when his populist measures allowed him to dominate politics.
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