Government of Thailand
The system of government in Thailand ( Thai: รัฐบาล ไทย ) is formed by the unified government of the Kingdom of Thailand, the legislative, executive and judicial branches. Since 1932, Thailand, the former Siam, a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. Under the Constitution, the Government of Thailand consists of the King, the Prime Minister of Thailand ( as executive) and the National Assembly (as legislature). The king is the head of state with no real political power and thus acts in a role such as the German Federal President. The National Assembly (parliament ) consists of the House of Representatives with 500 members who are elected directly by the people, and the Senate with 150 members, elected for half of the provinces and appointed by an election commission for the Senate. The king appoints the prime minister, who is constitutionally the chairman of the largest party of the House of Representatives.
The military has since the coup of 1932 great influence on the political agenda and the distribution of power in the country. The currently (2011) valid constitution was drafted by the aided by the military government and accepted August 2007 in a referendum. Key points are: amnesty for the coup of September 2006 and the curtailment of power of the executive. The Prime Minister may be selected for a maximum of two four- year long periods; Voters distrust can be put to a vote quickly.
The Thai trade unions are independent; about 50 % of civil servants are unionized, compared to only 2% of those employed in private company employees, where among the employers with an anti-union attitude is widespread.
The U.S. organization Freedom House ranks Thailand at the level of 4/4 from 7 (as worst rating ) one, as far as political rights and civil liberties, that is, the country is only partially considered as free. Since the general election in Thailand 2011 Thailand considers the organization but as electoral democracy, that is, as always functioning, even if not fully liberal democracy ..
- 3.1 Prime Minister
- 3.2 Cabinet
- 4.1 Legal System
- 4.2 courts 4.2.1 Civil Courts
- 4.2.2 Administrative Courts
- 4.2.3 Military Tribunal
- 4.2.4 Constitutional Court
Monarchy
The Constitution of Thailand states that the power emanates from the people and the King of Thailand exercises this power by the three branches, legislative, executive and judicial branches. The present King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX ). Ruled since 1946, making it the longest in office remaining Monarch worldwide. He enjoys the highest recognition in the population, even and especially as a result of his years of tireless efforts to improve the situation of many of the population. As head of state he has a certain influence on the transmission of the policy if he barely can also influence the politics of the day.
The monarch is the Privy Council in an advisory capacity. He can choose the members of the Privy Council at will. The king is head of the house of Chakri, which I of King Rama was founded in 1782. His official residence is the Grand Palace in Bangkok, in fact the Royal Family lives in Chitralada Palace in Bangkok.
Legislature
The legislative branch of the Thai government, the National Assembly, was konstitutiert 1932 in accordance with the provisions of the first constitution of Thailand and entered on June 28, 1932 in the Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall for the first time together. The National Assembly consists of two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate, both of which meet in the Parliament building in Bangkok.
House of Representatives
The House of Representatives was formed in 1932 for the first time and has since been working for the legislation of Thailand in different ways. The board currently consists of (2011) 500 members of Thailand's political parties, who are elected directly by the people, whereby the applied for the German Bundestag D' Hondt method is used. In the parliamentary elections in Thailand 2011 375 seats were distributed to the directly elected representatives of the constituencies and 125 country-wide party lists.
Senate
The Senate of Thailand was first formed in 1946 and had since then most of the time as a bulwark of military and social elite of the country. Currently, the Senate has 150 members, of which 75 come from the provinces, one from Bangkok. The other 74 are appointed by the selection committee to the Senate.
The senators may not belong to any political party, have held in the five years before the election for public office or mandate, or to be members of active politicians. You have been born in Thailand, be older than 40 years old and have a university degree. The members are determined for six years. The Senate, the function of an elitist Supervisory Body shall be attributed to that oversees the "ordinary" party politics. This contributes to the widespread distrust of elected politicians and parties into account.
The Senate has the right to government members of parliament, judges, prosecutors and members of the independent constitutional organizations of the Office to dismiss if they are guilty following an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, corruption, unusual wealth, misconduct or abuse. It requires a three - fifths majority.
Executive
Prime minister
Since 1932 is the head of government, the Prime Minister, usually the leader of the largest party in the House of Representatives. Under the Constitution, the Prime Minister is first selected by the House of Representatives and subsequently confirmed by the king.
The Prime Minister stands before the cabinet as executive government. He has next to the policy competence of the official government policy and the right to appoint the members of the Cabinet and replace. He represented Thailand in foreign countries and the government domestically. His residence is at Ban Phitsanulok in Dusit, Bangkok.
Cabinet
Judiciary and legal system
See also: Law in Thailand
Legal system
The Thai law is a mixture of traditional Siamese and European civil law, due in part to the legal adviser of King Chulalongkorn ( Rama V, reg. 1868-1910 ) is due, which should be involved in the creation of a modern legal system in its early Siam. Traditional Thai law is based on the Hindu- Brahmanic legal interpretations of the ancient Khmer Empire, Angkor. In Thai law, there is no proof process, and defamation and insult (as well as in most European countries) criminal offenses, and not just civil offenses.
Courts
The judiciary is a four tier, with ( 1) the civil courts, whose levels correspond to below the Supreme Court of the administrative division of the country (see above), (2) the administrative courts, (3) a separate military court, and (4 ) the Constitutional Court.
The Thai Jurisdiction is generally considered to be independent, but there are occasional cases of corruption. By rights, all citizens are equal before the courts and before the law, which is obviously well respected in daily life.
Civil courts
Civil courts make up the largest number of courts in the country. They are divided into three instances: courts of first instance, the review courts and the Supreme Court of Thailand.
Administrative courts
Administrative courts were first set up in 1997 in Thailand, to bring about mediation between citizens and governments or to prepare. Two instances are responsible for the administrative courts: administrative courts of first instance and the Supreme Administrative Court.
Military Tribunal
The Military Court has jurisdiction for civil and administrative court cases involving the military.
Constitutional court
In 1997, the Constitutional Court of Thailand was established to deal with cases relating to the constitution of the country. Since then, the Court has assumed great influence, many controversies have arisen. In particular, 2006 and 2008 political blockades were dissolved, which was not utilized to general satisfaction.
"Guardian institutions "
In response to the experience of the 1997 constitution, under which it was possible that Thaksin Shinawatra controlled during his reign by one, all political institutions, the Constitution of 2007 Constitution called independent organizations has introduced. These are about the elected politicians, which often selfishness is assumed to monitor and limit their power. These bodies are the electoral commission, the three Ombudsmen, the National Korruptionsbekämpungs Commission and the Court of Auditors. Their members must all be non-party, they will - as the Constitutional Court judges - chosen by the selection committee, confirmed by the Senate and appointed by the king. As the head of the "guardian bodies " turn to the selection of the appointed (not elected ) senators to participate, there is a certain circularity in the relationship between these institutions.
Administrative divisions and Local Government
Thailand is divided into 77 provinces ( Changwat; จังหวัด, including special zone with the capital Bangkok ) to which 877 districts ( Amphoe; อำเภอ ) and 7,255 municipalities ( Tambon; ตำบล ) and nearly 75,000 villages ( Muban; หมู่บ้าน ) belong.