Political process
Prior to the 1980s the political process in Thailand was usually controlled
by elites whose power was derived from the military. However, the idea of
parliamentary government, first enshrined in the constitutions of the 1930s,
never totally disappeared. Thailand has had universal suffrage since 1932,
and the minimum voting age is 18. Although no laws have prevented women
from involvement in politics, few women have stood for election to the
legislature.
Elected parliaments began to gain influence over the political process in the
1980s, and since 1992 governmental power has been exercised through an
elected National Assembly, except for a 15-month period in 2006–07, when
the military took control.
The role the military has played in the Thai political process reflects an
often enunciated principle by leaders of the armed forces that only a well-
disciplined military can preserve public order and protect the monarchy.
This principle has been challenged both inside and outside of the legislature
by those who see laws developed and passed by an elected National
Assembly as the basis for a diverse yet orderly society. Like military
politicians, however, elected officials often have used their power to
advance their own private interests rather than those of the society as a
whole.
Major political parties since the 1990s have included the
New Aspiration Party, Democrat Party, National Development Party, Thai
Rak Thai (“Thais Love Thais”), Thai Nation, Social Action Party, and Thai
Citizens’ Party. Following a parliamentary election, the parties with the
most legislative seats typically form a coalition government. In 2007 Thai
Rak Thai, the party of the ousted prime minister, was dissolved, and a new
party, People Power Party, was formed; it was widely viewed as the
reincarnation of Thai Rak Thai.
Constitutional framework
Bangkok, Thailand: Grand Palace
The Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand.
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with the monarch as the head of
state. While almost every government since 1932 has
accepted constitutional authority, the country has had 17 constitutions, the
most recent drafted in 2007. All of these documents have provided for
a National Assembly with a prime minister as head of government. Power is
exercised by the bicameral National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, and
the courts in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and laws
passed by the National Assembly. The constitution of 2007 (largely based on
that of 1997) provides for the direct election of members of the lower house
of the Assembly, the House of Representatives, to four-year terms, five-
sixths from single-member districts and the remainder based
on proportional representation from the political parties. It also requires the
prime minister to be a member of the House of Representatives. Members
of the upper house, the Senate, are directly elected to six-year terms.
Legislation originates in the House of Representatives, but it can be
modified or rejected by the Senate.
In May 2014, following a military coup, the 2007 constitution was
suspended (except provisions pertaining to the monarchy), and a council of
military leaders took power. That council appointed a 200-member single-
chamber interim legislature in late July. The leader of the council was
named interim prime minister in late August.
The execution of laws is carried out by the civil service, whose members are
known as kharatchakan, “servants of the king.” The bureaucracy,
particularly the Ministry of Interior, has always enjoyed a significant degree
of autonomy in administering the country. The number of elective offices
and senior civil-service positions occupied by women is small, though
increasing slowly.
Local government
For most people in Thailand, government is experienced primarily through
centrally appointed officials who hold posts in local administration, the main
units of which are provinces (changwat) and districts (amphur). In the
1990s three new provinces were carved out of the existing ones, resulting in
a total of 76.
A marked devolution of power has taken place since the 1980s. By far the
most significant of the local governing bodies are those in the major cities,
including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya. Locally
elected provincial assemblies have little power, but they serve as incubators
for local politicians who may later be elected to the National Assembly. In
1997, communes (tambon), units consisting of several villages, were given
increased powers and the authorization to elect members
of tambon administrative organizations. With new administrative and
financial authority, these bodies have become the most important local
democratic units in Thailand. Headmen of villages (muban) are also elected,
but their authority is circumscribed by centrally appointed district officers
and the tambon administrative organizations.
Cultural life
Prior to the modernizing reforms begun in the late 19th century under King
Chulalongkorn, Thai cultural life revolved around the Siamese royal court
and the wat, the Buddhist temple-monastery. Many ancient practices
associated with the court and the wat have been transformed into elements
of contemporary Thailand’s national heritage. The monarchy, through its
participation in royal functions, state ceremonies, and popular festivals,
plays an important role in nurturing and preserving this heritage. Many
state functions, today often shown on television, begin with the king or
other members of the royal family performing Buddhist rites. Certain
Buddhist holy days have been recognized as national holidays. Among these
are Visakha Puja, the festival celebrating the birth, enlightenment, and
death of the Buddha, and the beginning and end of “Buddhist Lent”
(phansa)—a three-month period corresponding to the monsoon season,
during which both monks and laypeople give added attention to religious
practices such as meditation.
The transformation of Thai cultural life is particularly evident in clothing. In
the late 19th century, members of the Thai court began to adopt Western-
style clothing and for a few years in the late 1930s and early ’40s such
clothing was mandatory. In the post-World War II period there was a
significant revival of traditional styles of clothing, especially for women. The
queen adopted the tie-dye silk tubular skirt traditionally worn by Lao
women in the northeast, and she was widely emulated by middle- and
upper-class women when they attended events at which
national culture was expected to be on display. For everyday attire in both
the cities and the villages, however, most people wear clothing of a style
that is considered “cosmopolitan” (sakon), but which, in fact, derives from
Western styles. For all its Western influences, however, contemporary Thai
culture is a creative blend that remains clearly rooted in Thai tradition.
