Thailand has made several efforts to reform key aspects of its political finance system, including regulations relating to funding for political parties and election campaigns. Yet, several challenges remain that merit constant improvements and innovation to regulate political finance and put appropriate systems and processes in place to ensure enforcement. As of 2023, no systematic review of the effectiveness of party finance regulations has been undertaken in Thailand. This Report intends to fill this gap by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the current political finance regulatory framework in the country as well as examining the challenges of implementation.

The Report focuses on the building blocks of political finance regulations: public funding mechanisms, regulations on private funding, regulations on spending, reporting and disclosure of income and expenditures, oversight mechanisms and sanctions. Based on the findings, the Report provides concrete recommendations for consideration by policymakers, political parties, the Election Commission of Thailand and other stakeholders. The Report is part of a larger International IDEA initiative to review political finance systems in selected countries in an effort to advance an evidence-based global policy debate on money in politics.