Overview

Since 1932, the Kingdom of Thailand has been a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy, making it one of the oldest democracies in Asia. The administration of the country is carried out by the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister under a bicameral parliamentary system.

Throughout its modern history, Thailand has steadily strengthened its democratic institutions to ensure that the voices of all people are heard and respected. This has been bolstered in recent years by the more active roles played by grassroots groups and independent organisations. The trend towards participatory democracy has encouraged people from all walks of life and civil society to be more actively involved in shaping the national agenda.

The country’s democratic path, however, has not always been smooth. In recent years, Thailand has seen its share of political unrest stemming from different beliefs about how best to move the country forward in the 21st century.

In May 2014, the National Council for Peace and Order was formed to carry out national administration and put the country back on track towards a sustainable democracy with continued economic growth. Following the promulgation of the new Constitution in April 2017, Thailand held the general elections on 24 March 2019.

Eighty-one political parties ran for the elections in March 2019 with almost 14,000 MP candidates, which is the highest number of MP candidates in Thailand’s history. Sixty-eight candidates for Prime Minister were nominated by 44 political parties.

Official election results are expected to be announced by 9 May 2019.