THE ASIA FOUNDATION
WORKING PAPER SERIES
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM OF
THAILAND, 1997:
A BLUEPRINT FOR PARTICIPATORY
DEMOCRACY
James R. Klein
Representative of The Asia Foundation in Thailand
Working Paper #8• March 1998
The Asia Foundation is a private, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization
working to build leadership, improve policies, and strengthen institutions to foster
greater openness and shared prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Building on its 43 years in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with Asian and
other partners from the public and private sectors to advance effective governance
and effective citizenship; open regional markets and create local opportunities;
and promote peace and maintain stability within the region through leadership
development, exchanges and dialogue, research, and policy management.
Through its Working Paper Series, The Asia Foundation presents a range of views on the
major political, economic, and security challenges facing the Asia-Pacific.
The views expressed in this working paper are those of the author and do
not necessarily represent those of The Asia Foundation.
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Thailand’s Guided Democracy: 1932-1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
The Legacy of Thailand’s Guided Democracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Political Reform and the Origins of the 1997 Constitution . . . . . . . . .9
Constitutional Supremacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Judicial Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Constitutional Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Citizen Participation in Governance
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
An Elected, Civil Society Senate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .