Senate of Thailand

Senate of Thailand

วุฒิสภา

Wutthisapha
Senate of Thailand ; วุฒิสภา; Wutthisapha
12th Senate of Thailand
	Seal of the National Assembly
Type
Type	Upper house of the National Assembly of Thailand
Leadership
President	Pornpetch Wichitcholchai ; since 28 May 2019 (Acting since 11 May 2024)
First Vice-President	Singsuk Singpai ; since 28 May 2019 (Acting since 11 May 2024)
Second Vice-President	Suphachai Somcharoen ; since 28 May 2019 (Acting since 11 May 2024)
Structure
Seats	250
Political groups	Acting since 11 May 2024; Appointed (250);
Length of term	5 years, non-renewable
Elections
Voting system	Indirect limited voting with self-nomination
Last election	30 March 2014
Next election	26 June 2024
Meeting place
	Chandra Chamber; Sappaya-Sapasathan; Dusit District; Bangkok, Thailand
Website
	www.senate.go.th

The Senate of Thailand (Thai: วุฒิสภา, RTGS: Wutthisapha, pronounced [wút.tʰí.sā.pʰāː]; formerly known as the Phruetthasapha, Thai: พฤฒสภา, RTGS: Phruetthasapha, pronounced [pʰrɯ́t.tʰá.sā.pʰāː]) is the upper house of the National Assembly of Thailand, Thailand's legislative branch. In accordance with the 2017 constitution of Thailand, the Senate is a non-partisan legislative chamber, composed of 250 members.^[1] There are no elections for the Senate – all 250 Senators are appointed by the Royal Thai Military.^[2] Senators serve five year terms in office.^[3]

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives were abolished as a result of the 2014 Thai coup d'état. These were replaced with the unicameral National Legislative Assembly, a body of 250 members, selected by the National Council for Peace and Order. The 2017 constitution, which was approved by a referendum in 2016, provided for a 250-members Senate, which was not elected but rather appointed by a special committee, which was itself appointed by the military. As such, it has been often considered as a rubber stamp for decisions already taken by the higher-ups of the military junta.^[4]^[5] As the indirect election is heavily influenced and intervened by the election commission, it is criticised by the public as a corrupted chamber with no mandate from people at all.

^ "Thailand's Constitution of 2017" (PDF). Constitute Project. 4 February 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
^ Sapsomboon, Somroutai (7 October 2018). "Elected govt to be at mercy of Senate". The Nation. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
^ "The World Factbook; Thailand". US Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
^ Kendall, Dave (2019-01-28). "Explainer: The appointed Senate". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
^ "Thailand election: Quick guide to the post-coup polls". BBC News. 2019-03-25. Archived from the original on 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2019-09-30.

[1] "Thailand's Constitution of 2017" (PDF). Constitute Project. 4 February 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2020.

[Nation-20181007-2] Sapsomboon, Somroutai (7 October 2018). "Elected govt to be at mercy of Senate". The Nation. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2020.

[3] "The World Factbook; Thailand". US Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2020.

[BP-20190128-4] Kendall, Dave (2019-01-28). "Explainer: The appointed Senate". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2019-01-28.

[5] "Thailand election: Quick guide to the post-coup polls". BBC News. 2019-03-25. Archived from the original on 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2019-09-30.

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