The People’s Constitutional Drafting Group, a network of civil society organizations campaigning for a new constitution, organized a running event at Benchakitti Park on Wednesday (7 January) to call for people to vote in favour of a new Constitution in the upcoming referendum, which will take place on 8 February, the same day as the general election.

The referendum will be a historic moment. iLaw director Yingcheep Atchanont noted that, in more than  90 years since it became a constitutional monarchy, Thailand’s constitutions have been repeatedly repealed and replaced by something written by coup leaders who designed systems to stay in power. This referendum is the first time that the Thai public has been asked to vote whether it wants a new Constitution. If the majority vote in favour of a new Constitution, he said, it would show that the public wants a full democracy and not a system designed by the military.

To raise awareness about the referendum, the network is organizing a run every Wednesday leading up to the election. Next week, the event will take place at 4 public parks in Bangkok: Lumpini Park, Chatuchak Park, Suan Luang Rama VIII Park, Suan Luang Rama IX Park.

Activists, politicians, and members of the public participated in the event at Benchakitti Park. People’s Party MP candidate Rukchanok Srinork said that, not only should political parties make their stances clear, content creators and influencers should also help raise awareness. People in rural areas do not know that a referendum is taking place, she said, and the Election Commission has not been very active in making sure people know about the referendum. She is concerned that people would leave the polling station after they voted in the general election without going to vote in the referendum, and called for support in raising awareness.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai MP candidate Chaturon Chaisaeng said that, without a vote in favour, the country would not be able to progress and there would never be a government stable enough to deliver policies. He said that people can vote for whatever party they like in the general election, but that they should vote in favour of a new Constitution.