Date of Elections: 24 July 1988

Purpose of Elections

Elections were held for all the seats in the House of Representatives following premature dissolution of this body on 29 April 1988. General elections had previously been held in July 1986.

Characteristics of Parliament

The bicameral Parliament of Thailand, the National Assembly, consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate is composed of members appointed by the King from among qualified persons possessing knowledge and experience in various branches of learning or affairs considered useful to the administration of the State. The number of Senators is not to exceed three- fourths of the total number of Representatives. There are currently 267 Senators, all ap­ pointed for 6 years. The number of elected members of the House of Representatives is determined by the population of each of the country's changwats (provinces), with one Representative for every 150,000 inhabitants and one for every fraction over 75,000. Each province has at least one Representative. On this basis, there are currently 357 Representatives, all elected for 4 years.

Electoral System

Every person who is of Thai nationality by birth and who is not less than 20 years of age on the 1st of January of the election year is entitled to vote. Disenfranchized are the insane and the mentally infirm; the deaf, dumb and illiterate; Buddhist priests, novices, monks or clergy; and persons detained by a court warrant or a legal order. Electoral registers are compiled on the provincial level and revised annually. Voting is not compulsory.

Persons of Thai nationality by birth who are at least 25 years old on election day may be candidates for the House of Representatives. This right is nevertheless not extended to undischarged bankrupts, persons addicted to harmful drugs, detained persons under sen­ tence or order of imprisonment, and persons sentenced to at least two years' imprisonment (except for an offence committed through negligence) who were discharged of such sentence less than five years before the election day concerned.

Chron. XXIII (1988-1989) 113 II Thailand

The mandate of Representative is incompatible with the post of national or local government official (excluding political officials) holding a permanent position or receiving a salary, the post of official of a State agency or enterprise, membership of a local assembly, and the position of receiving a concession or benefit from a government agency or party to a government contract. Senators must be Thai nationals by birth who are at least 35 years old and not members of any political party. Like Representatives, Senators cannot, while sitting as members, hold any position or have any duty in any government agency or State agency or enterprise, or a position of member of a local assembly, local administrator or local official (except the position of Minister or any other political official); or receive any concession from the State or a government agency, State agency or enterprise, or become party to a govern­ ment contract.

Candidates for the House of Representatives must be members of political parties. Each party must nominate a minimum of 179 candidates, or half of the total of 357 seats in the House. For House elections, the area of a changwat is generally regarded as one constituency; each constituency "shall have an equal or approximately equal number of members". There are 142 constituencies in all. Representatives therefrom are elected by simple majority, with electors having as many votes as there are Representatives from their constituency. Each candidate must have made a deposit of 5,000 baht.

House seats which become vacant between general elections are filled within 90 days through by-elections, unless the remainder of the House's term is less than 180 days. Senate vacancies are filled through appointment by the King.

Background and Outcome of the Elections

On 15 April 1988, a no-confidence motion was tabled by the opposition parties in the House of Representatives, and debate thereon was set for 9 May. However, on 29 April, the House was dissolved although there were more than two years left of its four-year term, and the July polling date was set. Prime Minister (since 1980) Prem Tinsulanonda had recom­ mended the dissolution after the main party (the centrist Democrats) in his coalition Govern­ ment was split by a dispute over a copyright bill. Altogether 3,606 candidates (including 366 women) and 16 parties contested the enlarged House's 357 seats. Confronting the ruling parties (Democrats (DP), Chart Thai, Social Action Party (SAP) and Rassadorn) was a loose collection of anti-Prem groups. The newly- formed Palang Dharma (Force of Virtue) Party, headed by the governor of Bangkok, fielded the most candidates -319. On a polling day marked by a record voter turnout, no single party gained an overall House majority, and the conservative Chart Thai (Thai Nation) supplanted the divided DP as leading group with 87 seats. On 27 July, Gen. Prem declined an offer to remain as Prime Minister and the Deputy Premier, Chart Thai leader Chatichai Choonhavan, was named his successor. Chart Thai formed a new multiparty coalition Government with its former allies plus the United Democracy Party and, ultimately, the Mass Party; they together held 220 House seats. The new Cabinet was appointed on 9 August.

114 Thailand in

Statistics

1. Results of the Elections and Distribution of Seats in the House of Representatives

Number of registered electors 26,658,637 Voters 16,944,931 (63.56%) Blank or void ballot papers 594,788 Valid votes 16,350,143

% of Votes Political Group Number of Number of Candidates obtained Seats Chart Thai Party 256 24.4 87 ( + 24) Social Action Party 213 15.1 54 ( + 3) Democrat Party 209 13.4 48 (-52) United Thai Party 205 9.8 35 (+16) Thai Citizen Party 207 8.7 31 (+ 7) Rassadorn Party 199 5.9 21 (+ 3) People Party* 255 5.3 19 (+19) Thai People's Party 244 4.X 17 (4-16) Palang Dharma Party* . . . 319 3.9 14 (+14) Community Action Party . . 216 2.5 9(- 6) Progressive Party 233 2.2 8(- 1) United Democratic Part) . . 214 1.4 5 (-33) Mass Party 209 1.4 5(+ 2) Liberal Party 189 O.S 3(+ 2) Social Democratic Force Party 195 0.3 1(=) Democratic Labour Party . . -(- 1) National Democracy Party . . -(- 3) Thai Agricultural Industrial Party . = 214 — -( = ) 357**

* New party. ** 10 seats added since last elections.

115 IV Thailand

2. Distribution of Members of the National Assembly according to Profession

House of Senate Representatives Total Businessmen 20 132 152 Politicians 11 72 83 Military officers 81 — 81 Pensioners 67 10 77 Civil servants 37 32 69 Lawyers 4 43 47 Farmers 2 23 25 Teachers 3 12 15 Banking 9 4 13 Doctors 7 5 12 State enterprise employees 9 — 9 Engineers — 6 6 Journalists 4 2 6 Architects 2 2 4 Manual workers 4 — 4 Police officers 3 — 3 Broadcasting — 2 2 Others 2 6 8 No indication of profession .... 2 6 8 267 357 624

Distribution of Members of the National Assembly according to Sex

House of Senate Representatives Men 262 347 Women _5 _10 267 357 Thailand v

4. Distribution of Senators according to Age (by birth year)

1912-1917 8 1918-1922 28 1923-1927 82 1928-1932 78 1933-1937 50 1938-1942 16 1943-1947 4 1948-1952 _1 267

5. Distribution of Representative according to Age

25-30 years 17 31-35 " 42 36-40" 45 41-45 " 60 46-50 " 72 51-55" 50 56-60 " 32 61-65" 24 66-70 " 12 71-75 " 1 76-80" __2 357

117