The Pheu Thai Party has called on political parties, lawmakers, civil society groups and the public to work together to ensure that the people's will, expressed in Sunday's national referendum, leads to the drafting of a genuinely democratic constitution.
Chaturon Chaisang, chairman of the party's referendum communication and people's constitution campaign committee, said on Thursday that the "yes" vote demonstrated a clear public desire for a new charter.
With 94% of ballots counted, around 19.9 million voters supported drafting a new constitution, a figure expected to exceed 20 million once the counting is complete.
Mr Chaturon said the result reflected widespread public awareness of the shortcomings of the current charter and a shared recognition of the need for political reform to better address the country's problems.
"The outcome shows that people understand the limitations of the existing constitution and see the necessity of a new one that can provide more effective solutions," he said. "This is an encouraging sign for Thailand's democratic development."
He said, however, that success would depend on the seriousness and inclusiveness of the process going forward. While parliament would play a central role in drafting amendments or producing a new charter, he warned that insufficient public engagement could become a major obstacle.
Mr Chaturon called on all stakeholders to promote public awareness, understanding and participation at every stage.
The party urged other political parties, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, civil society organisations, and other sectors to jointly push for the public mandate to be translated into a constitution that is democratic and truly belongs to the people.
Deputy party leader Chousak Sirinil outlined the next steps, saying the process would move into phases two and three.
This would involve submitting proposed constitutional amendments to parliament to pave the way for establishing a charter drafting assembly tasked with preparing a new constitution. Once a draft is finished, it will be put to another referendum for public approval.
Meanwhile, Pheu Thai leader Julapun Amornvivat apologised on Facebook to supporters who may have felt disappointed by the election outcome, saying the results may not have met expectations.
Party teams had returned to work on Monday morning to analyse any mistakes, make necessary adjustments, and move forward, he said.
