Page 28 - kpi20440

KPI Congress 20th
28
2018
Thai Democracy on the Move

Key Issues of group discussions

Group 1: Transforming Democracy through Rule of Law and
Political Institutions

The drive for free democratic states includes at least two
important elements including the political institutions responsible for state

missions and the legal framework that constrains the use of state power
through various institutions. These can be referred to as the legal state

or state with rule of law.

Over the past 20 years, a structural reform of democracy has
been driven through the rule of law and political institutions. The 1997

Constitution emphasized the structure of political institutions to create
“strong administration” through the electoral system and political parties.

Although there were monitoring systems and mechanisms, there were
many limitations obstructing the mission. Subsequently, the 2007

Constitution reinforced the system and the mechanisms for monitoring
political institutions. The current (2017) constitution restructures political

institutions to connect political parties more closely to the people,
to enlarge the state power monitoring system, to establish a clearer

framework for duties of the state through the 20-year National Strategy.
All constitutional organizations shall perform their duties in accordance

with the Constitution, laws, and the rule of law for the common interest
of the country and the well-being of the people as a whole.

Formerly, the number of the political institutions was not

sufficient to play a significant role in strengthening and developing
democracy in Thailand. In Group 1, the focus is on reforming political

institutions in order to balance the rule of law with the political institutions
through the lessons learned from democracy in Thailand and international

experience of driving democracy with the rule of law and political
institutions in other countries. The discussion aims at the creation of a
หลักการและก�าหนดการ future image or a democratic development model driven by the rule

of law and political institutions in line with the political equilibrium in

Thailand and the international standard.