The official name of the country is the Kingdom of Thailand and has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932. The present King Poumipohn is the 9th generation of Rahma dynasty.
The Parliament is composed of by the Upper House and the Lower House. The 270 members of the Upper House are nominated by the King out of nonpartisan candidates of high social status aged 35 or older. The term of the membership is 6 years and a half of the members are replaced every 3 years with possibility of being re-nominated. The Lower House members at present (in 1992) are 360 with 4 year term.
The voting right is given at the age of 20 and the eligibility for election is given at the age of 25.
2.3 Economy
(1) Economic growth and economic planning
The first economic development plan was started in 1961 and has since contributed towards the economic development of the country.
The present 7th socio-economic plan covers the 5 year period from '92 through '96 and the 8th plan starts in 1997. ( The fiscal year of the country is from October through September following year.)
