At stake in this election:

• 76 seats in the Senate (Wuthisapha)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: King BHUMIBOL Adulyadej
• Head of Government: Prime Minister SAMAK Sundharavej
• Assembly: Thailand has a bicameral Bicameral National Assembly consisting of the Senate (Wuthisapha) with 150 seats and the House of Representatives (Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon) with 400 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The King is the hereditary head of state.
• The Prime Minister is elected by parliament to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Senate (Wuthisapha), 74 members are appointed and 76 members are elected by single non-transferable vote (SNTV)*. In the House of Representatives (Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon), 400 members are elected in multi-member constituencies and 80 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.

* Candidates for Senate are not allowed to be members of political parties. Members are not eligible for reelection.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Independent(s): Independents
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 0

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 66,453,255 (2008)
• Registered Voters: 44,911,254 (March 2007)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 33,622,742 (2008)

·         Is Thailand a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Thailand ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (9 August 1985) 

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 24 (Senate) following the 2008 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 93

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low

Disability Data:

·         Is Thailand a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Thailand ratified CRPD: Yes (29 July 2008)

·         Population with a disability: 9,967,988 (est.)