The five-year term of the current 250 senators, who were appointed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) in May 2019, will end on 11 May 2024. Thailand will soon have a new batch of senators.

According to the 2017 Constitution of Thailand, the Senate consists of 200 members, installed from a selection by and among persons having the appropriate knowledge, expertise, experience, profession, characteristics, or common interests, and who are working or have worked in various segments of society.

They will be selected from 20 social and professional groups, with 10 members from each group. The selection will be carried out from the district and provincial levels to the national level, so that the senators will be representatives of the Thai people nationwide. People can apply for selection themselves, free from politicians’ involvement.

The present Constitution states that candidates for serving as senators must be of Thai nationality by birth and at least 40 years old at the time of application. They should possess at least 10 years of knowledge, expertise, and experience in the field they apply for. Members of political parties and government officials are barred from running for the senatorial office.

The roles of senators are to consider constitutional amendment proposals, scrutinize laws that are passed by the House of Representatives, endorse candidates to independent agencies, and provide a check and balance to the other branches of the government.

The new Senate also has a term of five years. Upon expiration of the term of the Senate, the senators shall remain in office to perform duties until there are new senators.