New Constitution
The junta's 2006 Interim Constitution authorized it to appoint a 2,000 person National Assembly which would select members to become candidates for a Constitution Drafting Assembly. From the onset of his appointment as Premier, Surayud Chulanont was urged by academics to override the junta's control of the constitution drafting process. Surayud eventually gave the junta a free hand in drafting the constitution.
The junta had originally promised to draft a permanent charter within eight months and to hold elections in October 2007. However, the Prime Minister's Office Minister Thirapat Serirangsan later announced that elections might not occur until one year and five months.
Read more about this topic: Policies Of The Surayud Government
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