Following five years of direct military rule, Thailand transitioned to a military-dominated, semielected government in 2019. While 2023 elections were comparatively open and competitive, the leading opposition party, Move Forward, was blocked from forming a government by the military-appointed Senate and subsequently dissolved by the Constitutional Court. The second-largest opposition group, the Pheu Thai Party (PTP), entered government in coalition with several military-aligned parties, but two successive PTP prime ministers were removed by the same court over alleged ethics violations in 2024 and 2025, signaling the continued dominance of the country’s unelected institutions. Press freedom remains constrained, due process is not guaranteed, and there is impunity for crimes committed against civic activists.

• A law allowing same-sex marriage, which had been adopted in 2024, came into effect in January. The legislation made Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to grant same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, on matters including financial benefits, medical care, adoption, and inheritance.
• Armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia broke out in July over a long-disputed border territory. In Thailand, more than 180,000 civilians were displaced by the fighting, which ended with a ceasefire after about four days. Combat resumed in December before another ceasefire took hold late that month. Dozens of Thais—most of them soldiers—were reportedly killed as a direct result of the clashes, and hundreds of thousands of civilians remained displaced as of late December.
• In August, the Constitutional Court—which had a history of removing elected leaders and suppressing reformist parties—dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the PTP for an alleged ethics violation stemming from a leaked phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The parliament voted in September to install Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the royalist, conservative Bhumjaithai Party, as the prime minister of a minority government; although Bhumjaithai was only the third-largest party in the lower house, it won the conditional backing of the top-ranked progressive People’s Party in exchange for concessions including a pledge to hold elections by early 2026. Anutin dissolved the chamber in December, and balloting was set for February.
• The authorities continued to prosecute individuals accused of criticizing the monarchy. Among other cases during the year, five activists who allegedly obstructed a royal motorcade amid a protest in 2020 were sentenced to between 16 and 21 years in prison after an appellate court reversed their acquittals. Also that month, the Bangkok Criminal Court sentenced People’s Party lawmaker and prodemocracy activist Chonthicha Jangrew to two years and eight months in prison for criticizing the monarchy on Facebook, and an appellate court upheld another two-year sentence against her in a separate lèse-majesté case. Chonthicha was released on bail pending appeal.

This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2026 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see the reports from the 2024 and 2025 editions of Freedom in the World.