Thai PM urges big turnout in charter referendum

BANGKOK, Aug 18 (Reuters) Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont called on Thais to vote tomorrow in a referendum on a military-drafted constitution that will limit the powers of politicians but lead to elections by the end of the year.

''This is a critical transition for Thailand, so I would like to ask people to go out and vote,'' Surayud said in a television interview today, nearly a year after elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a bloodless coup.

''This is another test for democracy and I hope we will pass this test,'' he said.

Voters are likely to approve the draft in the referendum, despite reservations, in hope of ending more than 18 months of political turmoil that has crimped economic growth.

Election officials said they expect at least 60 percent of 45 million voters to cast their ballots tomorrow but torrential rain and flash floods could prevent people from going to the polling stations.

The referendum requires a simple 50 percent majority to pass a constitution that would take power from politicians and hand it to bureaucrats and judges.

It was designed to prevent the re-emergence of a strong, single-party government like Thaksin's, and means a return to the constantly collapsing coalitions of the early 1990s, political analysts say.

A majority vote against the draft would leave power in the hands of the military to pick one of Thailand's previous 17 constitutions, revise it and promulgate it within 30 days.

Coup council chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin said yesterday that if the draft charter were rejected at the referendum, it would take him ''a couple of days'' to pick his favourite constitution and make some amendments.

''It would definitely take less than 30 days to promulgate another constitution, if I had to pick one,'' Sonthi said.

''MANAGED DEMOCRACY'' Many people, despite objections to parts of the draft, are thought likely to vote for it to avoid that unknown and get to elections that would produce a parliament that could amend it.

Analysts say the draft would put the country back in the era of ''managed democracy'' of the 1980s under ex-army chief Prem Tinsulanonda, now chief royal adviser and seen by the Thaksin camp as the coup mastermind.

Few believe an anti-charter campaign -- spearheaded by supporters of Thaksin, now in exile in London, but including some foes -- can succeed in voting it down.

But a low turnout would be an embarrassment for the generals and, as in most Thai elections, allegations of vote-buying and strong-arm tactics are flying.

The military council behind the coup and the government it appointed are striving to get at least 60 percent of the 45 million voters to cast ballots, arguing the new charter would provide an ''ethical'' and ''legitimate'' democracy.

Coup leaders have enlisted 400,000 military personnel to persuade people to back the draft charter, branded by Thaksin -- for whom the Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant on corruption charges -- as ''fruit of the poisonous tree''.

The Interior Ministry has instructed governors of all 76 provinces to order 80,000 village chiefs to get as many people as possible to the polling booths and awards will be given to the governors whose province have the highest turnouts.

Opponents of the draft, who deny the charges, are accused of paying people to vote ''No'' or stay at home.

Election officials expect to have a preliminary result of the referendum late tomorrow and an official result on Monday.

REUTERS SKB VC1502