Administrative Powers under the Thai Democratic System

1. Thailand is governed under a system of democracy with the King as Head of State and in which   powers are separated into three branches, namely, the legislature, executive and judiciary.

2. The enactment of laws and their amendment including the Constitution is the responsibility and duty of the legislative branch by the Parliament.

3. The Prime Minister is responsible for presenting bills passed by the National Assembly for His Majesty the King’s consideration as well as countersigning them after having received royal assent, which is the approach that has been taken under the various Constitutions.

4. Therefore, Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban’s accusation that the Government does not accept the power of the Constitutional Court is untrue and a false accusation.  The Government has never made any announcement that it would not accept the ruling and power of the Constitutional Court as the amendment of laws is a matter for the legislative branch which is the responsibility of the Parliament.

Under the present Constitution, the composition of the Parliament is made up of 500 Members of the House of Representatives (After the general elections in July 2011, there were approximately 300 Members of the House of Representative from parties within the coalition government and 200 from the opposition) and 150 Members of the Senate (77 of whom are elected and 73 appointed).

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                                                                                                                        2 December 2013