Tailândia flag Tailândia: Contexto político-econômico

O quadro político da Tailândia

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders
King: Maha Vajiralongkorn, Rama X (since 13 December 2016) – hereditary
Prime Minister: Phaethongthan Chinnawat (since 18 August 2024)
Next Election Dates
House of Representatives: May 2028
Senate: June 2029
Current Political Context
In August 2023, the Thai Parliament averted a looming political crisis by ultimately selecting a new prime minister, marking the return of one of the nation's most divisive figures after a 15-year self-imposed exile. Thai lawmakers elected real estate mogul and political novice Srettha Thavisin from the populist Pheu Thai party as the country's 30th prime minister,  forming a governing coalition alongside its historical military adversaries. However, his tenure was short-lived, as the Constitutional Court found his appointment of ex-convict Pichit Chuenban as a cabinet minister to be an ethical violation, leading to his resignation from office in August 2024. A few days later, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was appointed Thailand’s youngest new prime minister, at 38. Despite being seen as a potential unifier for the Pheu Thai Party, her leadership faced scrutiny given the ongoing internal divisions and political unrest. As a newcomer to the role, she confronted significant challenges, particularly in stabilizing the government and addressing the country's economic difficulties. The cabinet comprises 17 members from Pheu Thai, including the premier, and another 19 positions divided among coalition partners.
Main Political Parties
Thailand maintains a multi-party system, but traditional political parties have seen their role reduced in the parliament since the military-led coup in 2014. Currently, the main parties represented in the House of Representatives are:

- Pheu Thai Party (PTP); centre-right, it is the current majority ruling party.
- People's Party (PPLE): Centre-left, it is the successor party of the former Move Forward Party, which was dissolved by the Constitutional Court in August 2024.
- Bhumjaithai: Centrist, focusing on rural interests.
- United Thai Nation: Nationalist, advocating for Thai interests.
- Democrat: Center-right.
- Palang Pracharat: Right-wing, supportive of the military establishment.
- Kla Tham: Center-right
- Chart Thai Pattana Party: Regionalist emphasizing agricultural policies.
- Prachachart: Populist focusing on grassroots issues.
- Thai Sang Thai: Nationalist.

Executive Power

Thailand is governed by a constitutional monarchy. The King is the Chief of State, and the monarchy is hereditary. Traditionally, the King has little direct political power but benefits from enormous popular respect and moral authority, which has occasionally been used to resolve political crises and ensure national stability. Official power rests with the government.
The Prime Minister is the Head of Government and holds executive powers, including the implementation of laws and the management of the country's day-to-day affairs. Under the Constitution approved in April 2017, individuals outside of parliament can serve as Prime Minister. The cabinet is appointed by the King on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
Thailand’s 76 provinces, each administered by an appointed Governor, are divided into districts, sub-districts (tambons), and villages. Bangkok, which is a special administrative area with the status of a province, is governed by an elected Governor.

Legislative Power
The legislature in Thailand is bicameral, with the parliament being the National Assembly. It consists of the Senate (the upper house) with 250 seats, all of its members appointed by the Royal Thai Military under the new Constitution adopted in April 2017, serving five-year terms. However, the Senate appointed in 2024 will consist of 200 members elected from various professional groups for a five-year term. The House of Representatives (the lower house) has 500 seats, with its members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. Of these, 375 are directly elected through single constituency elections, and 125 are elected through party-list proportional representation. The executive branch of government is directly or indirectly dependent on the support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. The government cannot veto acts passed by parliament.
 

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

Definition:

The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).

World Rank:
137/180

Source: World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders

 

Indicator of Political Freedom

Definition:

The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.

Ranking:
Not Free
Political Freedom:
7/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House

 

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Últimas atualizações em February 2025