|
 BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Voters in Thailand's first-ever national referendum approved a new constitution Sunday, clearing the way for an election by December that would restore civilian rule after last year's military-led coup, unofficial results showed.
But the vote shows the country remains largely divided between Bangkok residents, who staged months of protests calling for deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to step down, and those in the poor, rural northeastern provinces where support for Thaksin runs high.
Thaksin was overthrown by the military in a bloodless coup last September. His opponents had accused the billionaire businessman of corruption and abuse of power, while his supporters said the coup was a move by the urban elite to restore influence lost to the rural majority under Thaksin.
|