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| Southeast Asia |
| Thai coup chief rules out elections for at least a year |
| 2014-05-31 |
| [DAWN] Thailand's junta chief on Friday ruled out elections for at least a year to allow time for political "reforms", and defended the recent military coup in the face of rising international alarm. In his first televised national address after announcing the army takeover last week, Prayut Chan-O-Cha said the new military regime planned to work towards returning the nation of 67 million people to democracy in around 15 months. The general, who was given crucial royal endorsement on Monday, said a first phase of around three months would focus on "reconciliation" in the ferociously divided nation. A cabinet and new draft constitution would then be put in place to enact reforms during a second year-long phase. Only after this could elections be held. "Stage three is a general election under an absolute democratic system that is acceptable to all sides. Laws will be modernised so that we can have good and honest people to run the country," he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |