Elections in Thailand ( refers to the democratic process in which some parts of the
Government of ThailandThe Royal Thai Government or the Government of Thailand The Royal Thai Government or the Government of Thailand The Royal Thai Government or the Government of Thailand ( is the unitary government of the Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand since 1932 has been a constitutional monarchy under a...
is selected. These include the
House of Representatives of ThailandThe House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Thailand is the lower house of the National Assembly of Thailand, the legislative branch of the Thai Government. The system of government of Thailand is that of a Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary Democracy. The system of the Thai...
, the
Senate of ThailandThe Senate of the Kingdom of Thailand is the upper house of the National Assembly of Thailand, . In accordance with the 2007 Constitution of Thailand, the Senate is a non-partisan legislative chamber, composed of 150 members...
(combined to create
National Assembly of ThailandThe National Assembly of Thailand or the Parliament of Thailand is the legislative branch of the government of Thailand. The National Assembly of Thailand is a bicameral body, consisting of two chambers: the upper house, , and the lower house,...
),
local AdministrationsThailand is divided into 75 provinces Thailand is divided into 75 provinces Thailand is divided into 75 provinces ( and the metropolitan municipality Bangkok (กรุงเทพมหานคร, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon). Bangkok was one province until 1972, making Thailand a 76-province country....
, Governorship of Bangkok and national
referendumA referendum , ballot question, or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal...
s.
ThailandThe Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
have so far had 25 general elections since 1933, the last election was in 2007. Voting in elections in Thailand is
compulsoryCompulsory voting requires electors to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. With a secret ballot voters remain free to spoil their ballot papers or remove them from the polling booth, depending on the voting system...
. All elections in Thailand are regulated by the Election Commission of Thailand.
Elections are held under universal suffrage in accordance with the
2007 ConstitutionA Permanent Constitution for the Kingdom of Thailand was drafted by a committee established by the military junta that abrogated the previous 1997 Constitution. On August 19, 2007, a referendum was held in which 59.3% of the voters voted in favor of the constitution...
; however certain restrictions apply:
- The voter must be a national of Thailand; if not by birth then by being a citizen for 5 years.
- Must be over 18 years old before the year the election is held.
- The voter must have also registered ninety days before the election at his constituency.
- Those barred from voting in House elections are: members of the sangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups...
or clergyClergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. The term ultimately comes from the Greek κλῆρος - klēros, "a lot", "that which is assigned by lot" or metaphorically, "inheritence"....
, those suspended from the privilege (for various reasons), detainees under legal or court orders and being of unsound mind or of mental infirmity.
- Voting in elections are also mandatory missing an election will result in minor tax penalties and other penalties.
The
House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Thailand is the lower house of the National Assembly of Thailand, the legislative branch of the Thai Government. The system of government of Thailand is that of a Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary Democracy. The system of the Thai...
] have 480 members, of those 400 is directly elected through First Past the Post system in which, one members represents one constituencies.
Elections in Thailand ( refers to the democratic process in which some parts of the
Government of ThailandThe Royal Thai Government or the Government of Thailand The Royal Thai Government or the Government of Thailand The Royal Thai Government or the Government of Thailand ( is the unitary government of the Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand since 1932 has been a constitutional monarchy under a...
is selected. These include the
House of Representatives of ThailandThe House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Thailand is the lower house of the National Assembly of Thailand, the legislative branch of the Thai Government. The system of government of Thailand is that of a Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary Democracy. The system of the Thai...
, the
Senate of ThailandThe Senate of the Kingdom of Thailand is the upper house of the National Assembly of Thailand, . In accordance with the 2007 Constitution of Thailand, the Senate is a non-partisan legislative chamber, composed of 150 members...
(combined to create
National Assembly of ThailandThe National Assembly of Thailand or the Parliament of Thailand is the legislative branch of the government of Thailand. The National Assembly of Thailand is a bicameral body, consisting of two chambers: the upper house, , and the lower house,...
),
local AdministrationsThailand is divided into 75 provinces Thailand is divided into 75 provinces Thailand is divided into 75 provinces ( and the metropolitan municipality Bangkok (กรุงเทพมหานคร, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon). Bangkok was one province until 1972, making Thailand a 76-province country....
, Governorship of Bangkok and national
referendumA referendum , ballot question, or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal...
s.
ThailandThe Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
have so far had 25 general elections since 1933, the last election was in 2007. Voting in elections in Thailand is
compulsoryCompulsory voting requires electors to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. With a secret ballot voters remain free to spoil their ballot papers or remove them from the polling booth, depending on the voting system...
. All elections in Thailand are regulated by the Election Commission of Thailand.
Suffrage
Elections are held under universal suffrage in accordance with the
2007 ConstitutionA Permanent Constitution for the Kingdom of Thailand was drafted by a committee established by the military junta that abrogated the previous 1997 Constitution. On August 19, 2007, a referendum was held in which 59.3% of the voters voted in favor of the constitution...
; however certain restrictions apply:
- The voter must be a national of Thailand; if not by birth then by being a citizen for 5 years.
- Must be over 18 years old before the year the election is held.
- The voter must have also registered ninety days before the election at his constituency.
- Those barred from voting in House elections are: members of the sangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups...
or clergyClergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. The term ultimately comes from the Greek κλῆρος - klēros, "a lot", "that which is assigned by lot" or metaphorically, "inheritence"....
, those suspended from the privilege (for various reasons), detainees under legal or court orders and being of unsound mind or of mental infirmity.
- Voting in elections are also mandatory missing an election will result in minor tax penalties and other penalties.
House of Representatives
The
House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Thailand is the lower house of the National Assembly of Thailand, the legislative branch of the Thai Government. The system of government of Thailand is that of a Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary Democracy. The system of the Thai...
] have 480 members, of those 400 is directly elected through First Past the Post system in which, one members represents one constituencies. The other 80 is elected through "
Proportional representationProportional representation , sometimes referred to as full representation, is a category of electoral formula aimed at securing a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive...
", in fact it is a form of
parallel votingParallel voting describes a mixed voting system where voters in effect participate in two separate elections using different systems, and where the results in one election have little or no impact on the results of the other...
or Mixed Member Majoritarian system (MMM), in which the voter first casts a vote for his or her constituency MP and then a second vote for party preference. At the end of election the 80 seats are allotted in accordance with these second votes, through Party lists given to the election commission by
political parties before election day. Party list MPs are select from on 6 lists based on six "electoral areas":
- Area 1 : 11 provinces with 7,615,610 population - Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is the second-largest province of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Tak, and Mae Hong Son...
, Chiang RaiChiang Rai is the northernmost province of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Phayao, Lampang and Chiang Mai. In the north it borders Shan State of Myanmar and Bokeo of Laos.-Geography:...
, Mae Hong SonMae Hong Son is one of the northern provinces of Thailand, and at the same time the westernmost. Neighboring provinces are Shan State of Myanmar, Chiang Mai and Tak. To the west it borders Kayin State and Kayah State of Myanmar again...
,PhayaoPhayao is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nan, Phrae, Lampang and Chiang Rai. In the north-east it borders Xaignabouli of Laos.- Geography :...
, NanNan is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Uttaradit, Phrae and Phayao. To the north and east it borders Xaignabouli of Laos.-Geography:...
, LampangLampang is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Phayao, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, Lamphun and Chiang Mai. The old name of Lampang is Khelang Nakhon.-Geography:...
, LamphunLamphun is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Mai, Lampang and Tak.-Geography:Lamphun is located in the river valley of the Ping River, surrounded by mountain chains....
, PhraePhrae is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phayao, Nan, Uttaradit, Sukhothai and Lampang.-Geography:Phrae is located in the valley of the river Yom.-History:...
, SukhothaiSukhothai is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phrae, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, Tak and Lampang...
, TakTak is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani and Kanchanaburi...
, and Kamphaeng PhetKamphaeng Phet is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Phichit, Nakhon Sawan and Tak.- Etymology :...
- Area 2 : 9 provinces with 7,897,563 population - Nakhon Sawan
Nakhon Sawan is one of the provinces of Thailand. Neighboring Provinces are Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit, Phetchabun, Lop Buri, Sing Buri, Chai Nat, Uthai Thani and Tak.- Etymology :...
, Uthai ThaniUthai Thani is one of the provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi and Tak.-Geography:...
, PhetchabunPhetchabun is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, Lopburi, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit and Phitsanulok.- Geography :...
, PhichitPhichit is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan and Kamphaeng Phet.- Geography :...
, PhitsanulokPhitsanulok is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the North of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, Uttaradit. In the north-east it also has a short border with Xaignabouli of Laos.-Etymology:The first element Phitsanu is a cognate...
, ChaiyaphumChaiyaphum is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Lopburi and Phetchabun.- Etymology :...
, Khon KaenKhon Kaen is the second-largest of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nongbua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Kalasin, Maha Sarakham, Buriram, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum, Phetchabun and Loei.-Geography:Khon Kaen is located in the heart of the Khorat Plateau...
, Lop BuriLop Buri is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phetchabun, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima, Saraburi, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Sing Buri and Nakhon Sawan.-Geography:...
, and UttaraditUttaradit is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Phrae and Nan...
- Area 3 : 10 provinces with 7,959,163 population - Nong Khai
Nong Khai is the northernmost of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani and Loei...
, Udon ThaniUdon Thani is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Nong Bua Lamphu and Loei.- Geography :...
, LoeiLoei is one of the most sparsely populated provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Nongbua Lamphu, Khon Kaen, Phetchabun, Phitsanulok...
, Nakhon PhanomNakhon Phanom is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Mukdahan, Sakon Nakhon and Nong Khai. To the north-east it borders Khammouan of Laos.-Geography:...
, Sakon NakhonSakon Nakhon is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin and Udon Thani...
, Nong Bua LamphuNong Bua Lamphu is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Udon Thani, Khon Kaen and Loei.-History:...
, KalasinKalasin is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Sakon Nakhon, Mukdahan, Roi Et, Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani.-Geography:...
, MukdahanMukdahan is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Amnat Charoen, Yasothon, Roi Et, Kalasin, Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom. To the east it borders the Mekong River, across which lies Savannakhet Province of Laos.-Geography:The province is located in the...
, Maha SarakhamMaha Sarakham is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the northeastern region of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Kalasin, Roi Et, Surin, Buriram and Khon Kaen....
, and Amnat CharoenAmnat Charoen is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Ubon Ratchathani, Yasothon and Mukdahan. To the east it borders Salavan of Laos.-Geography:...
- Area 4 : 6 provinces with 7,992,434 population - Roi Et
Roi Et is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East of Thailand. Neighboring Provinces are Kalasin, Mukdahan, Yasothon, Sisaket, Surin and Maha Sarakham....
, YasothonYasothon is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen, Ubon Ratchathani, Sisaket and Roi Et.-Geography:...
, Ubon RatchathaniUbon Ratchathani is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand, and the country's easternmost. Ubon is about 600 km away from Bangkok. Neighboring Provinces are Sisaket, Yasothon and Amnat Charoen...
, Si Sa KetSisaket , is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Surin, Roi Et, Yasothon and Ubon Ratchathani. To the south it borders Oddar Meancheay and Preah Vihear of Cambodia.-Geography:...
, SurinSurin is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Buriram, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et and Sisaket. To the south it borders Oddar Meancheay of Cambodia.- Etymology :...
, and Buri RamBuri Ram is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Sa Kaeo, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham and Surin. To the south-east it borders Oddar Meancheay of Cambodia...
- Area 5 : 10 provinces with 7,818,710 population - Nakhon Ratchasima
Nakhon Ratchasima , often shortened to Korat or Khorat , is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Buriram, Sa Kaeo, Prachinburi, Nakhon Nayok, Saraburi, Lopburi.The capital of the province is The City of Nakhon Ratchasima located in...
, Nakhon NayokNakhon Nayok is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Saraburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachinburi, Chachoengsao and Pathum Thani....
, Prachin BuriPrachin Buri is a province of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nakhon Ratchasima, Sa Kaeo, Chachoengsao and Nakhon Nayok.-Geography:...
, Sa KaeoSa Kaeo is a province of Thailand.It is located in the east of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chanthaburi, Chachoengsao, Prachin Buri, Nakhon Ratchasima and Buri Ram...
, ChachoengsaoChachoengsao is a province of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, Chon Buri, Samut Prakan, Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Nakhon Nayok...
, ChonburiChonburi is a province of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi and Rayong. To the west is the Gulf of Thailand. The eastern seaboard is heavily industrialized and underpinned by shipping, transportation, tourism, and manufacturing industries, and second to only Bangkok...
, RayongRayong province is a province of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chon Buri and Chanthaburi. To the south is the Gulf of Thailand.-History:...
, ChanthaburiChanthaburi is a province of Thailand. It is located in the east of Thailand, at the border to Battambang and Pailin of Cambodia and the shore to the Gulf of Thailand...
, TratTrat is a province of Thailand. It is located in the east of Thailand, and has borders with Chanthaburi Province to the northwest, Cambodia to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the south....
, and Pathum ThaniPathum Thani is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Ayutthaya, Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok, Chachoengsao, Bangkok and Nonthaburi....
- Area 6 : 3 provinces with 7,802,639 population - Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital, largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai as Krung Thep Mahanakhon , or กรุงเทพฯ Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It came to the forefront of Siam when it was given the...
, NonthaburiNonthaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom.-Geography:...
, and Samut PrakanSamut Prakan is one of the central provinces of Thailand.Neighboring provinces are in the west and north Bangkok and Chachoengsao to the east....
- Area 7 : 15 provinces with 7,800,965 population - Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi is the largest of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Tak, Uthai Thani, Suphan Buri, Nakhon Pathom and Ratchaburi...
, Suphan BuriSuphan Buri is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Nakhon Pathom and Kanchanaburi.- Etymology :...
, Nakhon PathomNakhon Pathom is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Samut Sakhon, Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi....
, RatchaburiRatchaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom,Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram and Phetchaburi...
, PhetchaburiPhetchaburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Ratchaburi, Samut Songkhram and Prachuap Khiri Khan...
, Prachuap Khiri KhanPrachuap Khiri Khan is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phetchaburi in the north and Chumphon in the south...
, ChumphonChumphon is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, at the shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Prachuap Khiri Khan, Surat Thani and Ranong. To the west it also borders Myanmar.-Geography:...
, RanongRanong is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the coast of the Andaman Sea. It is the province with the fewest citizens. Neighboring provinces are Chumphon, Surat Thani and Phang Nga...
, Chai Nat, Sing BuriSing Buri is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nakhon Sawan, Lop Buri, Ang Thong, Suphan Buri and Chai Nat....
, Ang ThongAng Thong is one of the central provinces of Thailand. The name means "golden bowl" which refer to Angthong as a central for prosperusness as it has a lot of rice fields....
, Phra Nakhon Si AyutthayaPhra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Ang Thong, Lop Buri, Saraburi, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Suphan Buri....
, SaraburiSaraburi is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Lopburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Nayok, Pathum Thani and Ayutthaya. Saraburi has been an important town since ancient times...
, Samut SakhonSamut Sakhon is one of the central provinces of Thailand.Neighboring provinces are Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok.- Etymology :...
, and Samut SongkhramSamut Songkhram is one of the central provinces of Thailand.Neighboring provinces are Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon. Local people call Samut Songkhram Mae Klong. The province is the smallest of all Thai provinces areawise...
- Area 8 : 12 provinces with 7,941,622 population - Surat Thani
Surat Thani is the largest of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
, Phang NgaPhang Nga is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the shore to the Andaman Sea. Neighboring provinces are Ranong, Surat Thani and Krabi. To the south is the Phuket province, but without land boundary to Phang Nga.-Geography:The province is located on the west side of the Malay...
, Nakhon Si ThammaratNakhon Si Thammarat is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, at the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand...
, KrabiKrabi is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, at the shore of the Andaman Sea.Neighboring provinces are Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang. The Phuket province to the west is also neighboring, but without any land boundary...
, PhuketPhuket is one of the southern provinces of Thailand...
, TrangTrang is the one of the southern provinces of Thailand, at the western shore of the Malay Peninsula to the Andaman Sea. Neighboring provinces are Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung and Satun.Trang used to be a port involved in foreign trade. It was the first city where rubber was planted...
, PhatthalungPhatthalung is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Satun and Trang.-Geography:...
, SatunSatun is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Trang, Phatthalung and Songkhla...
, SongkhlaSongkhla is the one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Satun, Phatthalung, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pattani and Yala. To the south it borders Kedah and Perlis of Malaysia....
, PattaniPattani is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Narathiwat, Yala and Songkhla.-Geography:...
, NarathiwatNarathiwat is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Yala and Pattani. To the south it borders the Malaysian state of Kelantan.-Geography:...
, and YalaYala is the southernmost province of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat. Yala is the only land-locked province in the south of Thailand. The southern part borders Kedah and Perak of Malaysia. This city has once been one of the most beautiful city in Thailand and...
Special elections can be called if the candidate fail to pass the commission's standards (Known as yellow-cards) or if a vacancy occurs. The commission also have the authority to annul or ban candidates based on their standards (Red-cards). The term for the House is 4 years not fixed. The last election for the House occurred in 2007.
Further reading: Thai general election, 2007The 2007 Thai general elections were held on 23 December. This was the first legislative election after the Council for National Security, a military junta, had overthrown Thailand's elected government and abrogated the constitution on September 19, 2006. The junta had canceled general elections...
Senate
The
SenateThe Senate of the Kingdom of Thailand is the upper house of the National Assembly of Thailand, . In accordance with the 2007 Constitution of Thailand, the Senate is a non-partisan legislative chamber, composed of 150 members...
is composed of 150 members, 76 of those are directly elected. 75 from the
Provinces of ThailandThailand is divided into 75 provinces , which are geographically grouped into 6 regions. The capital Bangkok is not a province but a special administrative area and is included as the 76th province since it is administered at the same level as the other 75 provinces. The name of the provinces are...
and the one from the
Bangkok Metropolitan AreaThe Bangkok Metropolitan Area , also known as Greater Bangkok, is the urban conglomeration of Bangkok, Thailand, which includes 5 adjacent provinces....
. The Senate is a non-partisan chamber and therefore candidates cannot be a member of a political party. The election is based on the First Past the Post system. The election for the Senate is every six years fixed. The last election for the Senate occurred in 2008.
Further reading: Thai Senate election, 2008Senate elections were held in Thailand on 2 March 2008 for the first time under the new constitution. Voter turnout was 56%. Results were expected on 9 March 2008....
Local Administration
There are three different levels of municipalities :
- thesaban nakhon (city): More than 50,000 citizens, population density higher than 3,000 per km²
- thesaban mueang (town): More than 10,000 citizens, population density higher than 3,000 per km² - or a provincial capital
- thesaban tambon (subdistrict municipality): More than 5,000 citizens, population density higher than 1,500 per km²
All of these elect their own district councils and Mayor. there are 36 district councils. The election follow a 4 years cycle.
City of Bangkok
Councils
BangkokBangkok is the capital, largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai as Krung Thep Mahanakhon , or กรุงเทพฯ Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It came to the forefront of Siam when it was given the...
is divided into 14 local district councils, while there are 57 seats in the Bangkok Metropolitan Council, (BMW). The election follow a 4 years cycle. Most recent local election was in 2006
See also: Thai local elections, 2006
Gubernatorial
The Governor of Bangkok is one of two, elected Governors in the country (Pattaya being the other). The Governor holds a four years renewable term. The election of the governor does not coincide with that of the district council or of the BMC. The most recent election for Governor of Bangkok was in 2009.
See also: Bangkok gubernatorial election, 2008The eighth gubernatorial election for the city of Bangkok, Thailand, was held on 5 October 2008. The election was won by the incumbent Governor Apirak Kosayothin, placing him in his second consecutive four-year term in office, winning 45.93 percent of the vote...
See also: Bangkok gubernatorial election, 2009The ninth gubernatorial election for the city of Bangkok, Thailand. The election was held on the 11 January 2009. The election came about after the resignation of Apirak Kosayothin on the 13 November 2008, the incumbent who was only just re-elected a little more than a month...
Referendums
There has only been one
referendumA referendum , ballot question, or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal...
and that was for the
2007 Constitution of ThailandA Permanent Constitution for the Kingdom of Thailand was drafted by a committee established by the military junta that abrogated the previous 1997 Constitution. On August 19, 2007, a referendum was held in which 59.3% of the voters voted in favor of the constitution...
.
Further reading: Thai constitutional referendum, 2007A referendum on the new constitution was held in Thailand on 19 August 2007. Had the draft been rejected, the military government would have had the freedom to choose any previous constitution to adapt and promulgate instead...
Issues
There has been many issues especially in recent years concerning elections in Thailand. Accusation of
vote buyingElectoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about a election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
and blackmail has been most cited. Most accusations leveled concerns vote buying particularly in rural areas where representatives of political parties or district captains are sent out offering up to 2,000 Bath for a vote. Others concern cheating and ballot tempering.
Other issues concern the powers of the
Election CommissionThe Election Commission of the Kingdom of Thailand is an independent government agency and the sole Electoral Commission of Thailand tasked with overseeing Senate, House, local and district elections throughout the Kingdom of Thailand...
, an unelected and unaccountable body of five, which has absolute authority to cancel elections at will. It is also the sole arbiter and interpreter of Thai election laws. It has been incredibly active in the last two general elections in annulling and disqualifying candidates.
Voter turnoutVoter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s. In general, low turnout may be due to disenchantment, indifference, or...
during elections is not much of a problem in Thailand as voting is compulsory and is one of the responsibilities described in the
ConstitutionA constitution is a set of rules for government—often codified as a written document—that establishes principles of an autonomous political entity. In the case of countries, this term refers specifically to a national constitution defining the fundamental political principles, and establishing the...
a citizen must exercise. Turnout is however much higher during general elections (85% in 2007) than they are for Senate (56% in 2008) or local elections (54% for Bangkok Governor in 2008).
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