At stake in this election:

• 500 seats in the House of Representatives (Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: King BHUMIBOL Adulyadej
• Head of Government: Prime Minister ABHISIT Vejjajiva
• Assembly: Thailand has a bicameral National Assembly (Rathasapha) consisting of the Senate (Wuthisapha) with 150 seats and the House of Representatives (Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon) with 500 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The King is the hereditary head of state.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Senate (Wuthisapha), 74 members are appointed and 76 members are elected by single non-transferable vote (SNTV). In the House of Representatives (Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon), 375 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms and 125 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Democrat Party / พรรคประชาธิปัตย์, Phak Prachathipat
  • Leader: Abhisit VEJJAJIVA
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 165
• Party: Pheu Thai Party / พรรคเพื่อไทย, Phak Phuea Thai
  • Leader: Yingluck SHINAWATRA
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: N/A

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 67,089,500 (July 2010)
• Registered Voters: 44,002,593 (December 2007)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 33,871,024 (2011)

·         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: 79 (House of Representatives) following the 2011 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 93

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

Disability Data:

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

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

·         Population with a disability: 10,063,425 (est.)