The cabinet of Thailand (formally, the Council of Ministers of Thailand; ; is a body composed of thirty-five of the most senior members of the government of the

Kingdom of Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. The cabinet is the primary organ of the

executive branch The executive branch is the part of government which executes or enforces the law. Function The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In ...

of the Thai government. Members of the cabinet are nominated by the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and formally appointed by the

King of Thailand The monarchy of Thailand is the constitutional monarchy, constitutional form of government of Thailand (formerly ''Siam''). The king of Thailand (, historically, ''king of Siam''; ) is the head of state and head of the ruling Chakri dynasty. ...

. Most members are governmental department heads with the title of "minister of state" (; . The cabinet is chaired by the

Prime Minister of Thailand The prime minister of Thailand (, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Siamese Revolution of 1932, when ...

. The cabinet is often collectively called "the government" or "the Royal Thai Government".

History

Prior to the Revolution of 1932, the absolutist Chakri kings ruled

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

through a series of "krom" ( and "senabodi" (. On 15 April 1874 King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

founded the King's Privy Council () (which still exists today) made up of 49 senior

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

s and officials. For the first time the kings of Siam exercised his powers through a council. On 14 July 1925 King

Prajadhipok Prajadhipok (8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941) was the seventh king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VII. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and social changes during the 1932 Siamese revolution. He i ...

formed the

Supreme Council of State of Siam The Supreme Council of State of Siam ( was an advisory and legislative council established by King Prajadhipok of Siam (Rama VII) that existed from 1925 to 1932. The Eton College, Eton- and Sandhurst, Berkshire, Sandhurst-educated monarch wished ...

(; ) made up of 5 senior princes (all of them his brothers and all of them ministers of state) to help govern the country. However, after the revolution in 1932, the

Khana Ratsadon The People's Party, known in Thai as Khana Ratsadon (, ), was a Thailand, Siamese group of military and civil officers, and later a political party, which staged a 1932 Siamese coup d'état, bloodless revolution against King Prajadhipok's govern ...

decided to dissolve this council. Instead the new constitution created a direct precursor of the cabinet called: the

People's Committee of Siam The People's Committee of Siam ( was the first constitutional Cabinet of Siam (now Thailand) or (. After the Revolution of 1932, and promulgation of the 'Temporary' Constitution, Phraya Manopakorn Nititada (a civil servant and former Minister of ...

(; led by a president. The privy council from then on became a royal advisory council. With the promulgation of "permanent" constitution at the end of that year, the name of the committee was changed to the "council of ministers" and the name of the chair to

, after King Prajadhipok deemed the old names too communistic. The first cabinet of Thailand was led by

Phraya Manopakorn Nititada Phraya Manopakorn Nitithada (, ; 15 July 1884 – 1 October 1948), born Kon Hutasingha (or Hutasingh, , ) and simply known as Phraya Mano, was a Siamese nobleman who served as the first Prime Minister of Thailand, prime minister of Siam after ...

. All government departments and agencies were then immediately transferred to its control. To date there have been 58 cabinets of Thailand.

Ministers of State

Qualifications

According to the 2007 Constitution the cabinet is restricted to no more than 35 members. Members of the cabinet, unlike the prime minister, do not need to be a member of the

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

, however most of them are. To be eligible to be a minister an individual must meet the following qualifications: *Be a Thai national by birth. *Be older than 35 years of age. *Have graduated with no less than a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

or its equivalent. *Not be a member of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

(former senators must wait two years after their term of office to be eligible) The individual must also: not be addicted to drugs, not have been

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

, not be a monk or a member of the clergy, not be disenfranchised, not be mentally infirm, not be under indictment or conviction, not have been expelled by a state agency for

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

or incompetence, not be a paid

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

or member of the

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

, and not ever been removed from any office by the

Senate of Thailand The Senate of Thailand is the upper house of the National Assembly of Thailand, Thailand's legislative branch. In accordance with the 2017 constitution of Thailand, the Senate is a non-partisan legislative chamber, composed of 200 members. Sena ...

. Ministers of State are in theory appointed by the

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

, however in truth they are appointed at the advice of the prime minister to the king. Before taking office, a minister must make a solemn declaration before the king in the following words:

"I, (name of the declarer), do solemnly declare that I will be loyal to the King and will faithfully perform my duties in the interests of the country and of the people. I will also uphold and observe the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand in every respect."

Roles

The 2007

Constitution of Thailand The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (; ) provides the basis for the rule of law in Thailand. Since the abolition of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand has had 20 charters or constitutions. Many changes followed military coups, ref ...

calls the cabinet the "Council of Ministers". The entire IXth chapter is dedicated to it. There are only 20 cabinet ministries, which means that 15 ministers are without portfolio. They can, however, be appointed

deputy prime minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

s or

deputy minister Deputy minister is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. A deputy minister is positioned in some way "under" a minister, who is a full member of Cabinet, in charge of a particular sta ...

s. According to the constitution, the cabinet must, within fifteen days of being sworn in, state its policies to the

National Assembly of Thailand The Parliament of Thailand ( Abrv: NAT; , , ) is the bicameral legislative branch of the government of Thailand. It convenes in the Sappaya-Sapasathan, Dusit District, Bangkok. The Parliament was established in 1932 after the adoption of Thai ...

. Ministers have the right to go in person to the national assembly to state and explain policies or opinions. Each minister is responsible for his actions and the actions of his department and is therefore accountable to the national assembly. Therefore, the assembly can compel the minister to appear before it and explain his actions. The House of Representatives and the Senate can forcefully remove a sitting minister by a

vote of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

. A one-sixth of the chamber vote is needed to call a debate and a simple majority is required for removal. A minister can also be removed by the king on the advice of the prime minister.

The Cabinet

Function

As the primary government institution in the

, the cabinet is ultimately responsible for the administration and management of various government agencies and departments. It is also the primary institution for the formulation of policies with regards to all areas of politics and governing. Legislatively the cabinet is one of the institutions allowed to submit bills to the National Assembly for consideration. The cabinet is also allowed to call a joint sitting of the National Assembly to consider important bills or even join a joint sitting of the Assembly. The cabinet is also allowed to call a national

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

. The cabinet is governed by the rule of

collective responsibility Collective responsibility or collective guilt is the responsibility of organizations, groups and societies. Collective responsibility in the form of collective punishment is often used as a disciplinary measure in closed institutions, e.g., b ...

, in which the members of the cabinet must support all policies despite personal or private disagreement. As a result, if the government fails or if the policies of the government fails then the entire cabinet must take responsibility; and resign in its entirety. The cabinet's term is wedded to that of the Prime Minister. The

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

is allowed to create his own cabinet or the Shadow Cabinet of Thailand.

Current Cabinet

On 4 September 2024, King

Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn (born 28 July 1952) is King of Thailand. He is the tenth Thai monarch of the Chakri dynasty since ascending the throne in 2016 with the regnal name Rama X. The only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirik ...

endorsed the current 35-member cabinet with

Paetongtarn Shinawatra Paetongtarn Shinawatra (, , ; born 21 August 1986) is a Thai politician who is the 31st prime minister of Thailand since 2024 and leader of the Pheu Thai Party since 2023. A member of the Shinawatra family, she is the youngest child of the 23rd ...

as prime minister.

Notes

References

External links

* 2007 Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand s:2007 Constitution of Thailand
Official WebpageThai Government - Cabinet AnnouncementGovt gets 'satisfactory' grade
(2024-06-03)

Bangkok Post The ''Bangkok Post'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. It is published in broadsheet and digital formats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost one baht, a considerable amount ...

{{Asia topic, Cabinet of , title=National cabinets of Asia Politics of Thailand Government of Thailand

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...