elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following a national election for the House of Representatives, the leader of the party that can organize a majority coalition usually becomes prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consists of the Senate or Wuthisapha (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 4 March, 29 April, 4 June, 9 July, and 22 July 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); House of Representatives - last held 6 January 2001 (next to be held NA January 2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - TRT 248, DP 128, TNP 41, NAP 36, NDP 29, other 18
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or DP (Prachathipat
Party) [CHUAN Likphai]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP (Seri Tham)
[PHINIT Charusombat]; Mass Party or MP [CHALERM Yoobamrung, SOPHON
Petchsavang]; National Development Party or NDP (Chat Phattana)
[KORN Dabbaransi]; New Aspiration Party or NAP (Khwamwang Mai) [Gen.
CHAWALIT Yongchaiyut]; Phalang Dharma Party or PDP (Phalang Tham)
[CHAIWAT Sinsuwong]; Social Action Party or SAP (Kitsangkhom Party)
[leader vacant]; Solidarity Party or SP (Ekkaphap Party) [CHAIYOT
Sasomsap]; Thai Citizen's Party or TCP (Prachakon Thai) [SAMAK
Sunthonwet]; Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BANHAN
Sinlapa-acha]; Thai Rak Thai Party or TRT [THAKSIN Chinnawat]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN,
BIS, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC (observer),
OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
TEJ Bunnag
chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007