The Election Commission (EC) announced on Friday that an official referendum result shows overwhelming support for drafting a new constitution to replace the current charter.
The vote returned 58.64% in favour of a new charter, 30.46% for keeping the existing constitution and 8.34% who abstained.
Turnout on Feb 8 was 69.95% of nearly 53 million eligible voters, while invalid ballots made up 2.56%, the EC said.
iLaw, a civic group advocating for democracy and human rights, welcomed the result, saying the referendum showed support for drafting a new charter.
Under the plan, the 2017 constitution — written by a military-appointed panel after the 2014 coup — would first be amended to allow a process for drafting a new one.
According to civic groups, the 2017 charter was the product of the coup makers who sought to hold onto power with backing from independent institutions and the Senate, which was selected without public participation.
The constitution was approved in a public referendum held in August 2016, with 61.4% in favour and 38.6% against, based on a turnout of 54.6%. However, discussion and debate were stifled, with public expressions of opposition a criminal offence.
Between late April and July 2016, about 115 people were arrested or charged under military orders, the Criminal Code and the Constitutional Referendum Act for expressing their opinions about the draft.
