I would like to start off by sorry for the information I gave in the blog regarding the party name and the parliament building. TK was right; the building is situated NEXT to Pra-tee-nung-anan-tadsamakom(picture below). And also the Democratic Party is the main opposition to the Thai-Rak-Thai party. I normally confuse myself with the political parties here.
Now, continuing with last weeks’ blog on the political system of Thailand. I would first like to talk about the election process concerning us (the people). Normally in an election, we will vote directly for the party which means the candidate within that area would represent us to vote for a PM (Normally, the leader of that party). However, there has been a recent change in the democratic voting structure. Thailand has adopted the “party list” voting system as in some countries, for example Spain, Israel, Austria, Finland and Poland in the EU has used. This method emphasizes the proportion of the representatives and the importance of respected Members of Parliament (MP) within the lower house of parliament. In Thailand, party list members are limited to 100 MPs. This number would include some members from the opposition and isolated parties as well as the leading party. In the last constitution, there are 70 MPs from Thai-Rak-Thai and the rest is made up of opposition candidates. How would you choose the MPs to be allocated in the part list? There is a priority order for every party. Let’s say, Thai-Rak-Thai nominate 100 names in orders waiting to be allocated in the party list system. The final result allows 70 MPs from Thai-Rak-Thai to be included. The rest 30 candidates will have to wait in priority orders. These members in the party list are normally the “elite” members of the political party who’s very experienced. The higher you are in the list, the chances of you becoming one of the influence members of that respected party i.e. More chance to be assigned to big jobs such as Governor, Leader of the parliament etc. So, the people, in every 4 years of a serving term will re-elect the lower house MP and PM. The party list system forces the people to vote in 2 papers, voting for the candidate and voting for the party in that area.
The Prime Minister has the ultimate power to run operation activities within the country. Like in most country, he/she has the power to appoint the cabinet. In Thailand, the Prime Minister serves a nominal term of 4 years before he/she is re-elected. Though, there is a “monarch” to monitor the party’s activity. I would not go into much detail about the Monarch but instead, focus on the Privy Councilors who act as “advisors” for the king and has the duty to speak for him. Though this credential is not easily gained, you have to be a “very important” person to be assigned to this job and I mean “very” important. In Thailand, the Privy Councilors are very much the “hero” of the people who has done an incredible amount for the country. Occupants like court judges, general in the army and doctors are very much favored. Though, you have to be highly achieved and recognized.
I guess this is it for the political systems of Thailand. You can post any queries or mistakes and I’ll be more than happy to answer it.
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