Elections a step closer as Thai King endorses new charter

Bangkok

THAI King Maha Vajiralongkorn ratified a military-backed constitution in a televised ceremony in Bangkok on Thursday, paving the way for an election in late 2018.

The promulgation of Thailand's 20th charter had been delayed after the king requested changes following the death of his father in October. It allows the return of some form of representative democracy after the military seized power in a 2014 coup that deposed former leader Yingluck Shinawatra.