Impeachment: removal from offices in the modern Thai constitutions

Abstract

The 1997 Constitution introduced the impeachment mechanism for the first time in Thai legal history. This legal concept also had been found in the 2007 Constitution until the 2017 Constitution framers deliberately cut its life short. Hence, a question as to how the dismissal would affect the legislative and public control over the executive branch arises. This article explores the doctrine of impeachment, its interaction with liberal democratic principles, and the Thai impeachment mechanism. Ultimately, it suggests how Thailand’s political environment under the existing constitution may worsen democratic accountability, especially with the absence of an impeachment mechanism.