History of Constitution Day

Thailand’s Constitution Day

At the start of the 1930s, Thailand (then called Siam) was suffering economically from the effects of the great depression. The king at the time was Rama VII, who was seen by many as lacking the experience necessary to deal with all the issues that were affecting his country.

This led to a group of intellectuals and senior military personnel forming a group called the people's party who presented the king with the option to stay in power but have his power reduced, creating a constitutional monarchy. Under the new constitution, the king and monarchy remained in place with the king as head of state, head of the military and defender of all religions.

Since 1932, Thailand has had 20 constitutions or charters. Many of the redrafted versions, from which the authority to implement all other laws is based, have been adopted following military coups, including the current administration, which introduced its version on April 6th 2017. The one constant has been that all the changes are a variation of a constitutional monarchy. This constant of the monarchy during times of great change reflects the respect and admiration that the Thai people have for their monarchy.

Constitution of Thailand

Thailand has had 20 constitutions and charters since the overthrow of absolute monarchy in 1932.

  1. Temporary Charter for the Administration of Siam Act 1932
  2. Constitution of the Kingdom of Siam 1932
  3. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 1946
  4. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (Interim) 1947
  5. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 1949
  6. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 1932 (Revised 1952)
  7. Charter for the Administration of the Kingdom 1959
  8. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 1968
  9. Interim Charter for Administration of the Kingdom 1972
  10. Constitution for the Administration of the Kingdom 1974
  11. Constitution for Administration of the Kingdom 1976
  12. Charter for Administration of the Kingdom 1977
  13. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 1978
  14. Charter for Administration of the Kingdom 1991
  15. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 1991
  16. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 1997
  17. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (Interim) 2006
  18. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 2007
  19. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (Interim) 2014
  20. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 2017

Sources:

Constitution of Thailand. (2021). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Thailand

Democracy Monument (อนุสาวรีย์ประชาธิปไตย). (2556). วิกิพีเดีย. https://th.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ไฟล์:Democracy_Monument (อนุสาวรีย์ประชาธิปไตย).jpg

Nick. (2020). Constitution Day. https://www.huahintoday.com/thailand-news/constitution-day/

Thailand Constitution Day in Thailand in 2021. (2021). https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/thailand/thailand-constitution-day

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand. (2016). MASTERKOOL. https://www.masterkool.com/en/the-constitution-of-the-kingdom-of-thailand/

Unknown. (2018). Constitution Day. https://24love-story.blogspot.com/2018/02/constitution-day.html