Thailand’s Upper House became the focus of intense controversy in
mid-2023, when unelected senators, many of them retired military officers
appointed by the post-2014 junta, played a central role in blocking Move
Forward Party leader Pita Limcharoenrat from being prime minister. A new Senate
was selected in June 2024, through a somewhat arcane process, based on a
combination of provincial representation and the representation of professional
groups. Those nominated for the Senate effectively became voters, who were
eligible to choose future senators from among themselves. Whilst in theory this
was a non-political process designed to select the best-qualified candidates,
in practice it was overshadowed by actors that included the Progressive
Movement (linked to the Move Forward Party), the Pheu Thai Party, and
especially the Bhumjai Thai Party.
The resulting Senate comprises 200 members, around three-quarters
of whom are now closely linked to the influential Bhumjai Thai Party – the
so-called blue faction, who were initially known for wearing blue clothing
during parliamentary sessions to signal their loyalties and solidarity. Around
10-15 senators make up the independent or progressive group, who have been
pressing for greater democracy and transparency. But given the blue faction’s
powers to appoint key officials such as Constitutional Court judges, coupled
with the group’s de facto veto power over constitutional reform, the new Senate
may once again prove the graveyard of progressive politics in Thailand.
Drawing primarily on elite interviews, this paper analyses the
selection, performance and dynamics of the post-2024 Senate, and asks what
lasting significance the new chamber may have for the future of Thai politics.