The office of the "President of the
People's Committee" (), later changed to "Prime Minister of Siam" (), was first created in the
Temporary Constitution of 1932. The office was modeled after the
prime minister of the United Kingdom, as Siam became a
parliamentary democracy in 1932 after a
bloodless revolution. However, the idea of a separate head of government in Thailand is not new. Prior to 1932, Thailand was ruled by
absolute monarchs, who acted as both the
head of state and the government. However, during the middle and latter reigns of the
Chakri dynasty, several individuals were perceived to hold a post equivalent to a
head of government. During the reign of King
Mongkut,
Somdet Chao Phraya Si Suriyawongse had a very significant role in an otherwise absolutist system. During the reign of King
Chulalongkorn, Prince
Damrong Rajanubhab took over this role. In fact, the office most considered the precursor of that of the prime minister was the ancient office of
Samuhanayok (สมุหนายก), which was run by an
Akkhra Maha Senabodi (อัครมหาเสนาบดี) or "chief minister in charge of civilian affairs". The first prime minister of Siam was
Phraya Manopakorn Nititada, a judge. The title of the office was changed from "Prime Minister
of Siam" to "Prime Minister
of Thailand" in 1945 and then permanently with the renaming of Siam to Thailand in 1949. For most of its existence, the office has been occupied by
Army leaders; sixteen out of thirty. Military dominance began with the country's second prime minister,
Phraya Phahon Phonphayuhasena, who ousted his civilian predecessor in a
coup in 1933. The longest-serving prime minister was
Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram at 14 years, 11 months, and 18 days. The shortest was
Thawi Bunyaket at just 18 days. Nine were removed by
coups d'état, three were disqualified by court order, and eleven resigned from office. The youngest ever to occupy office is
Paetongtarn Shinawatra at 37 years old. Thailand received its first female prime minister,
Yingluck Shinawatra, in 2011. Every prime minister since Manopakorn Nititada has been Buddhist. The current 2017 constitution states that the Prime Minister shall hold the office for no longer than eight years, consecutively or not. The term limit was the subject of legal challenge in 2022 after there were debates of how to count the term. The
Constitutional Court ruled 6–3 that the term would be counted from the promulgation of the 2017 constitution, so that Prayut Chan-o-cha was allowed to continue his premiership despite having held the position since the 2014 coup. ==Appointment==