The challenges of the Constitutional Court

Seminar reflects on 3 decades of rulings

- POST REPORTERS

The Constitutional Court has endured significant political pressure and played a major role in navigating the country through repeated political crises, including the dissolution of political parties in the past three decades since its establishment, a seminar was told.

The Constitutional Court hosted an international seminar and a public lecture under the theme "The Courts and the Protection of Human Rights", presided over by Nakharin Mektrairat, its president and chair of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions.

Representatives from several of the association's member states — including South Korea, Turkey, and Uzbekistan — attended the event, with others joining online. The association now comprises 21 member countries.

During the event, Constitutional Court Judge Chiranit Havanond delivered a lecture titled "Three Decades of the Thai Constitutional Court and Challenges in the Next Decade". He recounted the evolution and important rulings of the court across three decades since its establishment under the 1997 constitution.

In the first decade (1997-2006), Mr Chiranit explained that the court focused primarily on determining whether ordinary legislation conflicted with the constitution. At the time, there were widespread questions about the court's relevance and authority.