Politics

The politics of Thailand currently takes place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government and a hereditary monarch is head of state. Executive power is currently exercised by a military junta and its appointed Prime Minister and Cabinet. Legislative power is vested in a junta-appointed legislature. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Political activities are currently banned. Prior to the 2006 coup, the kingdom was a parliamentary democracy, with an elected bicameral legislature.

Thailand had been ruled by kings since the thirteenth century. In 1932, the country officially became a constitutional monarchy, though in practice, the government was dominated by the military and the elite bureaucracy. The country's current constitution was promulgated in 2006.

The King of Thailand has little direct power under the constitution but is a symbol of national identity and unity. King Bhumibol - who has been on the throne since 1946 - commands enormous popular respect and moral authority, which he has used on occasion to resolve political crises that have threatened national stability.

Currently, Thailand is run by a military Military junta calling itself the Council for National Security. On 19 September 2006, the CNS staged a coup d'état that overthrew the elected government of Thaksin Shinawatra. Since that time, Thailand has been governed by a military junta headed by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who later appointed General Surayud Chulanont, who is a member of King's Privy Council, as Prime Minister. The coup and the governing junta were endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej in a royal decree on the day following the coup.

Executive Branch

The king has little direct power under the constitution but is the anointed protector of Thai Buddhism and a symbol of national identity and unity. The present monarch enjoys a great deal of popular respect and moral authority, which has on occasion been used to resolve political crises. It is illegal to mock or criticise the King and doing so can bring about charges of lese majesty.

The head of government is the Prime Minister. The current constitution allows the President of the Council for National Security to appoint or remove the Prime Minister at any time. The legislature may not hold votes of no-confidence against the Prime Minister or members of his Cabinet.

The Council for National Security is self-administered. The 2006 constitution includes no mechanisms for removing or overseeing CNS members.

Under most previous constitutions, the Prime Minister was usually the head of the largest party in the legislature. Cabinet members did not have to be Members of Parliament. The legislature could hold a vote of no-confidence against the Premier and members of his Cabinet if it had sufficient votes.

Legislative Branch

The current constitution allows a unicameral legislature, members of which are appointed by the Council for National Security. The 250 members of the legislature may request that the Cabinet give statements of fact or explain problems, but is not allowed to hold vote of no-confidence against the Cabinet or Premier.

Under the 1997 Constitution, the bicameral Thai legislature was called the National Assembly or informally, the Parliament. It consisted of a House of Representatives of 500 seats and a Senate of 200 seats. Members of both houses were elected by popular vote. The House of Representatives was elected by the first-past-the-post system, where only one candidate with a simple majority will be elected in one constituency. The Senate was elected based on the province system, where one province can return more than one Senator depending on its population size. Members of House of Representatives served four-year terms, while Senators served six-year terms.

Legal System

Thailand's legal system blends principles of traditional Thai and Western laws. The Constitutional Court of Thailand has jurisdiction over certain constitutional issues. The Courts of Justice have jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases and are organised in three tiers: Courts of First Instance, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Justice. There are no stenographic records kept by the trial court and the record is composed of what the judge decides. There is no discovery in the Thai legal system. Slander and libel are not civil torts in Thailand but criminal offences.

Administrative courts have jurisdiction over suits between private parties and the government, and cases in which one government entity is suing another. In Thailand's southern border provinces, where Muslims constitute the majority of the population, Provincial Islamic Committees have limited jurisdiction over probate, family, marriage and divorce cases. Thailands legal system has been often criticised by other countries for having penalties of life in prison or even death for crimes such as drug possession or smuggling, while having lenient penalties for other crimes including acts of terrorism.