The President of the National Assembly ( th, ประธานรัฐสภา; ; ) is the presiding officer (speaker) of the

National Assembly of Thailand The National Assembly of Thailand ( Abrv: NAT; th, รัฐสภา, , ) is the bicameral legislative branch of the government of Thailand. It convenes in the Sappaya-Sapasathan, Dusit District, Bangkok. The National Assembly was establishe ...

. Since 1997, the office has been an ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' position occupied by the

Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand The President of the National Assembly ( th, ประธานรัฐสภา; ; ) is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer (speaker) of the National Assembly of Thailand. Since 1997, the office has been an ''ex officio'' position occupie ...

. The President is therefore an MP, usually from the majority party in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. The President is elected at the beginning of a House session immediately after an election, there are no term limits for the office. In the aftermath of the Coup d'état in 2014, the function of legislative assembly was turned over to the junta-controlled National Legislative Assembly, which

Pornpetch Wichitcholchai Pornpetch Wichitcholchai ( th, พรเพชร วิชิตชลชัย, ; born 1 August 1948) is a Thai lawyer who has served as the President of the Senate of Thailand since 24 May 2019. He was previously President of the National Le ...

, President of the National Legislative Assembly, is occupying ''ex officio'' position of President of the National Assembly. The office of the President of the National Assembly was first established in 1932, with the establishment of the first legislature of Thailand. The office of the President of the People's Assembly of Siam was first occupied by

Chaophraya Thammasakmontri Sanan Devahastin na Ayudhya (also spelled Thephasadin among other variants; th, สนั่น เทพหัสดิน ณ อยุธยา, , ; 1 January 1877 – 1 February 1943), better known by his noble title Chaophraya Thammasakmont ...

(Sanan Thephasadin na Ayutthaya).

Powers and functions

As President

The President of the National Assembly, apart from being the presiding officer of the National Assembly whenever there is a joint-sitting, is also the chief representative and leader of the

legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...

in Thailand. In the 2007 constitution the President of the National Assembly is given many powers. The President is assisted by the Vice President of the National Assembly, another ex officio position occupied by the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the Senate. * Countersign the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

's appointment and removal of the President of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

and

Regent of Thailand In Thailand, the regent ( th, ผู้สำเร็จราชการแทนพระองค์) is a person who exercises the official functions of a monarch of Thailand when the monarch is incapable of functioning or during a period ...

. * Countersign the Royal Command for the amendment of the

1924 Palace Law of Succession The Palace Law of Succession, Buddhist Era 2467 (1924) ( th, กฎมณเฑียรบาลว่าด้วยการสืบราชสันตติวงศ์ พระพุทธศักราช ๒๔๖๗; ) governs suc ...

. * Inviting the Heir to ascend the Throne. * Ensure all votes in the Assembly is recorded. * Asking the Monarch to convoke an extraordinary session of the Assembly.

As Speaker

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the chief presiding officer of the House of Representatives. The Speaker is also entrusted with some legislative powers, as it is his main role to ensure all the legislative process is followed. The Speaker is assisted by two Deputy Speakers. The Speaker must act impartially on all matters and therefore cannot be a member of an executive committee of a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

, this also apply to his deputies. * Filling a vacancy of a

Party list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...

MP, by submitting a name on the list for publication in the Royal Gazette. * Submitting to the King the name of the Prime Minister-elect to be formally appointed, then countersigning it. * Countersign the King's appointment of the

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

. * Be an ex officio member of the Selection committee for: **

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

Judges ** Election Commissioners **

Ombudsmen An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

** National Anti-Corruption Commissioners

List of presidents

''Note: According to the 2007 Constitution of Thailand the office of President of the National Assembly of Thailand is held as an ''ex officio'' position by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. However throughout Thailand's long constitutional history this has not always been the case, at certain times the office of 'President' of the legislature was sometimes held by the presiding officer of the upper house or that of a unicameral chamber.''

References

Parliament of Thailand
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080629062600/http://phetchaburi.ect.go.th/news/1.1.1.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20080618030359/http://www.rakbankerd.com/01_jam/thaiinfor/country_info/index.html?topic_id=87&db_file= * http://rulers.org/thaigov.html {{DEFAULTSORT:President Of The National Assembly Of Thailand Government of Thailand Political history of Thailand Chairs of lower houses

Powers and functions

As President

As Speaker

List of presidents

See also

References