In an ancient royal ceremony broadcast live on national television and not seen in almost 50 years, His Majesty King Rama X on Thursday signed Thailand’s 20th constitution approved in a controversial referendum last August. The endorsement is usually held at the palace and a public ceremony is not obligatory.
The promulgation of the new charter paves the way to the kingdom’s first general election since the May 2014 coup to be held by the end of 2018 at the latest. A date for a new general election and a formal return to democracy had previously been postponed several times.