At stake in this election:

• 200 seats in the Senate (Wuthisapha)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: King BHUMBOL Adunyadej
• Head of Government: Prime Minister CHUAN Leekpai
• Assembly: Thailand has a bicameral Bicameral National Assembly consisting of the Senate (Wuthisapha) with 200 seats and the House of Representatives (Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon) with 500 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The King is a hereditary monarch.
• In the Senate (Wuthisapha) 200 members are elected by popular vote to serve 6-year terms. In the House of Representatives (Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon) 500 members are elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms.

Main parties in the election:

• Independents
  • Seats won in this election: 200

Last Parliamentary election:

• This is the first election to the Senate (Wuthisapha). Parliamentary elections were last held on November 17, 1996, when 391 seats to the House of Representatives were decided .

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 60,609,046 (July 1999 est.)
• Registered Voters: 38,000,000 (1996)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 31,688,434 (2000)

·         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: 21 (Senate) following the 2000 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 93 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

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

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

·         Population with a disability: 9,091,356 (est.)