| Prasobsuk Boondech ( M) |
| Suvimol Phumisingharaj ( F) |
- 76 directly elected
- 74 members selected by Senators Selection Committee
National Assembly
U-Thong Nai Road
BANGKOK 10300
Tel.: (662) 831 9385
Fax: (662) 831 9385
E-mail: bfa@parliament.go.th
Cable: Senate, Bangkok 10300
| http://www.senate.go.th/ |
1973
The number of seats in each constituency depends on the provinces population.
Each voter casts his/her ballot for one candidate. The candidate with the highest number of votes is elected.
There are no reserved seats for women, ethnic minorities or other categories.
Vacancies arising between general elections are filled through by-elections.
Voting is not compulsory. However, persons failing to vote without reasonable cause as specified in the electoral law lose their right to vote and to stand for election to the House of Representatives, the Senate or a local assembly.
- Thai citizenship (including naturalized citizens, who must have acquired citizenship at least five years prior to election day)
- residence in the constituency for a minimum of 90 days prior to election day
- citizens overseas can vote under certain conditions at a Thai embassy or consulate (postal votes are organized for countries where the embassy or consulates are hard to reach and those with less than 500 registered voters)
- disqualifications: mental illness, Buddhist priest, novice, monk or clergy, persons detained by a warrant of the Court or by a lawful order, persons whose right to vote has been suspended
- Thai citizenship by birth
- there is no residence requirement
- holder of a BA degree
Ineligibilities:
- imprisonment
- persons serving sentences of two years or more
- conviction for treason, bribery or a criminal or electoral offence
The disqualifications above are valid for five years after they first take effect.
- insanity/mental illness
- persons under guardianship/wards
- holders of temporary entry permits
- undocumented immigrants
- executives of the Electoral Commission
- members of the Electoral Commission
- ministers of State
- outgoing senators (no consecutive election is allowed)
- former members of the House of Representatives, unless their term of office ended more than one year before they entered the Senate election
- members of a political party
- national or local government officials
- holders of public posts
- holders of judicial offices (judges)
- civil servants
- executives of the Electoral Commission
- members of the Electoral Commission
- executives of a public (State) coporation
- staff members of a public (State) corporation
- members of the armed forces
- members of the police forces
- clergymen
- a non-reimbursable deposit of 10,000 Thai baths
Also available:
Archive of past election results for this chamber
The last Senate elections (for 200 directly elected members) were held in April 2006, but the resulting Senate had actually never convened because of events that led to the dissolution of the House of Representatives in September 2006. The 1997 Constitution prohibited the Senate from meeting in the absence of a House of Representatives.
The new Constitution adopted in August 2007 reduced the statutory number of Senate members from 200 to 150, of whom 76 are directly elected (one from each of the 76 provinces). National and provincial committees comprising bureaucrats and judicial officials select the rest of the members.
The election of the 76 directly elected members was preceded by the selection of the 74 appointed senators which started on 2 January. On 19 February, the Election Commission announced the results of this selection process. The selected members include 14 retired soldiers or police generals and eight members of the outgoing interim legislature the National Legislative Assembly. The remainder represent various professions such as the media, health care, business and agriculture. Prime Minister Sundaravej criticized the Senate selection process as undemocratic and pledged to amend the Constitution to restore a fully elected Senate.
Although the new Senate is a non-partisan body, many candidates for the 76 directly elected seats were reportedly backed by political parties. The voting took place in relative peace, except for a bomb blast near a polling station in the southern part of the country in which three soldiers were injured. Although voting is compulsory in Thailand, only 55.62 per cent of the 44.9 million eligible voters went to the polls. Outgoing NLA Speaker Meechai Ruchuphan attributed the low turnout to the failure to publicize the vote by the Election Commission and the candidates and to voter apathy for a ballot held just three months after the House elections.
On 3 March, the Election Commission announced that it had received 34 complaints of electoral fraud, mostly related to vote buying. Twelve women were appointed and twelve were elected, bringing the total number of women to 24.
On 14 March, the new Senate held its first session, officially establishing the Thai National Assembly. It elected Mr. Prasobsuk Boondech as its new President.
| Round no 1 (2 March 2008): Election results | ||||
| Number of registered electors | 44'911'254 | |||
| Voters | 24'981'233 (55.62%) | |||
| Blank or invalid ballot papers | 914'475 | |||
| Valid votes | 24'066'758 | |||
| Round no 1: Distribution of votes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political Group | Candidates | Votes | % of votes | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Round no 1: Distribution of seats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political Group | Total of seats | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note on distribution of seats according to sex:
Twelve women were elected and twelve others were appointed (01.04.2008, 04.07.2008).
- reasons for interruption of the term: loss of membership of the Senate, resignation, holding a position of Minister or other position, or becoming consultant of any political party, being sentenced by judgment of the Court of imprisonment, death, dissolution of the Senate
- election held during the first sitting of the Senate
- after Members' mandates are validated
- closing for nomination of candidature is decided by the Senate, at the sitting
- the candidate receiving the largest number of votes shall be elected. If there are several persons receiving the largest number of votes equally, a new election shall be conducted among such persons.
If they receive the largest number of votes equally again, the method of drawing lots shall be adopted
- the most senior Senator of the sitting, 5 Senators who are invited to count the votes and the Secretary General supervise the voting
- the most senior Senator of the sitting announces the results without any delay
- the Secretary General of the Senate informs the Prime Minister of the the name of the winning candidate for further presentation to the King
- the results can be challenged
- is ex officio Vice-President of the National Assembly
- the Speaker of the House of Representatives presides over joint sittings of both Chambers
- represents the Senate with the public authorities
- is ex officio member of the Constitutional Tribunal, and may be President of this Tribunal during the dissolution or the expiration of the term of the House of Representatives
- is ex officio Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Services Committee
- represents the Senate in international bodies (Thai National Group in the Inter-Parliamentary union, Asia- Pacific Parliamentary Union and ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organisation)
- in the absence of the President, the first Vice-President can assume his/her role and functions In the event of the latter's absence, the second Vice-President will replace him
+additional allowance of 45,000 Bath per month (approximately US $ 1,750)
- secretariat
- additional staff
- 4 assistants
- establishes and modifies the agenda
- organizes the debates and sets speaking time
- refers texts to a committee for study
- ensures respect for provisions of the Constitution and Standing Orders
- makes announcements concerning the Senate together with the Secretary General
- takes disciplinary measures in the event of disturbance, and lifts such measures
- establishes the list of speakers, gives and withdraws permission to speak
- establishes the order in which amendments are taken up and selects which amendments are to be debated
- calls for a vote, decides how it is to be carried out, verifies the voting procedure and cancels a vote in the event of irregularities
- checks the quorum
- interprets the rules or other regulations governing the life of the Senate according to precedents
- has discretionary power to give the floor outside the agenda and thus organizes impromptu debates
- recruits, assigns and promotes staff
- organizes the services of the Senate
- can play a specific role in the conduct of defence matters when the Senate performs the function of the National Assembly in giving approval to a war declaration prepared by the Government during the expiration of the term or the dissolution of the House of Representatives
- plays a specific role in the field of foreign affairs when the President of the National Assembly is absent or unable to perform such duties
- is responsible for relations with foreign Parliaments
- is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Senate
- provides guidelines for the interpretation or completion of the text under discussion
- takes part in voting
- intervenes in the parliamentary oversight procedure
- plays a role in ensuring the constitutionality of laws as a Member of the Constitutional Tribunal
· Procedure: written resignation
· Authority competent to accept the resignation: the President of the Senate
(b) Loss of mandate by judicial decision (S. 133 (8) in connection with S. 96 and 133 (3) to (7) and (9) or (10) of the Constitution): decision of the Constitutional Court terminating the membership (see also Resignation, and (d), (e) and (f))
(c) Death (S. 133 (2) of the Constitution)
(d) Disqualification and incompatibilities (S. 133 (4) to (7), in connection with S. 95, 125, 126, 127, and 128 of the Constitution)
(e) Absence for more than one-fourth of the number of days in a session the length of which is not less than one hundred and twenty days without permission of the President of the Senate (S. 133 (9) of the Constitution)
(f) Imprisonment by final judgement to a term of imprisonment except for an offence committed through negligence or a petty offence (S. 133 (10) of the Constitution)
· Outside Parliament: the official order of precedence ranks the President of the Senate in the 3rd position.
· Basic salary: THB 38,500 per month
· No exemption from tax
· No pension scheme
· Other facilities:
(a) Secretariat
(b) Assistants (see also Rule 11 of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate, and The Secretariat of the Senate and its Staff): one assistant
(c) Official car for the President and the Vice-Presidents of the Senate
(d) Postal and telephone services: telephone installation; senators have to pay telephone bill by themselves
(e) Travel and transport: free travel in the country by air, by bus and by rail; free travel abroad only for official functions approved by the President of the Senate
(f) Others: health insurance
· Parliamentary non-accountability is limited to words spoken or written by senators and votes cast within Parliament.
· Derogations: offence or insult (Rule 52 (2) of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate, see Discipline)
· Non-accountability takes effect on the day when the mandate begins and offers, after the expiry of the mandate, protection against prosecution for opinions expressed during the exercise of the mandate.
· It applies only to criminal proceedings, covers all offences and protects senators only from arrest and from being held in preventive custody, and from a summons by a warrant for inquiry as an alleged offender. It also protects them from trial during a session.
· Derogations:
- In cases of flagrante delicto, senators can be arrested or detained. The arrest shall be reported to the President of the Senate and the President may order the release of the person so arrested.
- In cases concerning the organic law on the election of Members of the House of Representatives and senators, on the Election Commission or on political parties, senators can be tried during a session, provided that such trial shall not hinder senators from attending the sitting of the Senate.
· Parliamentary inviolability does not prevent senators from being called as witnesses before a judge or tribunal.
· Protection is provided only during sessions.
· Parliamentary immunity (inviolability) can be lifted (S. 165 (1) and 166 (1) of the Constitution):
- Competent authority: the Senate
- Procedure (Rule 124 of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate). In this case, senators must be heard. They have means of appeal.
· Parliament cannot subject the prosecution and/or detention to certain conditions.
· Parliament can suspend the prosecution and/or detention of one of its members (for the prosecution, see S. 166 of the Constitution, and for the detention, see S. 167 of the Constitution and Authorisation to attend sittings of Parliament):
- Competent authority: the Senate; the inquiry official or the court, on request of the President of the Senate
- Procedure (S. 166 and 167 of the Constitution, see Trial during a session, and Procedure for authorisation to attend sittings of Parliament)
· In the event of preventive custody, the senators concerned can be authorised to attend sittings of Parliament (S. 167 of the Constitution):
- Competent authority: the inquiry official or the court, on request of the President of the Senate
- Procedure (S. 167 of the Constitution, Rule 125 of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate)
· Penalties foreseen in case of failure to fulfil this obligation (S. 133 (9) of the Constitution): loss of mandate (see Loss of mandate - (e))
· Disciplinary measures foreseen:
- Warning (Rule 119 (1) of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate)
- Prohibition of words (Rule 119 (1) of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate)
- Order to withdraw words (Rule 119 (1) of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate)
- Prohibition to speak (Rule 119 (1) of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate)
- Order to apologise (Rule 119 (1) of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate)
- Expulsion from the sitting with or without time limit (Rule 119 (1) and (2) of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate)
· Specific cases:
- Offence or insult (Rule 52 (2) of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate): all disciplinary measures
· Competent body to judge such cases/to impose penalties (Rule 9 (3) of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate): the President of the Senate
· Procedure (Rule 119 of the Rules of Procedure of the Senate)
· Penalties foreseen for violation of the rules of conduct:
- Loss of mandate (S. 133 (5) to (7), in connection with S. 95, 109 (8) to (12), 110, 111, 126 (4), 127, and 128 of the Constitution; incompatibilities, use of influence)
- Loss of mandate, other penalties in accordance with Penal Code (S. 133 (5) and (8) in connection with S. 109 (14), 126 (4) and 297 to 311 of the Constitution; removal from office, criminal proceedings against persons holding political positions)
- Disciplinary measures
· Competent body to judge such cases/to impose penalties:
- Loss of mandate (removal from office): the Senate
- Other penalties in accordance with Penal Code (criminal proceedings against persons holding political positions): the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions
- Disciplinary measures: the Presiding Officer at the sitting of the Senate
· Procedure:
- Loss of mandate (S. 297 to 307 of the Constitution; removal from office). In this case, senators have no means of recourse.
- Other penalties in accordance with Penal Code (S. 308 to 311 of the Constitution; criminal proceedings against persons holding political positions). In this case, senators have no means of recourse.
- Disciplinary measures. In this case, senators have no means of recourse.
Also available:
Archive of past election results for this chamber
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