BANGKOK (AP) — A court on Wednesday ordered the dissolution of the progressive Move Forward party that won last year’s general election in Thailand, saying it violated the constitution by proposing an amendment to the country’s anti-defamation law.
The Constitutional Court voted unanimously to dissolve the party because its campaign proposal to amend the law was an attempt to overthrow the country’s constitutional monarchy.
The Move Forward party was unable to form a government after topping the polls because a conservative military-appointed body at the time refused to endorse its candidate for prime minister.
Subsequently, the Election Commission filed a petition against the party The Constitutional Court ruled In January, it stopped short of recommending changes to the law, known as Article 112, which protects the monarchy from criticism with a prison sentence of up to 15 years for a crime. Moving forward, it has insisted that it wants to keep the monarchy out of politics and not be exploited as a political tool.
The court on Wednesday ordered a 10-year ban on political activity for those who held party executive positions while campaigning for the proposed amendment. Among them its charismatic former leader, Pita Limjaronrat, And the current president is Saidawat Dulathon.
Speaking to followers and the media on Wednesday evening, Bida said that although he has to say goodbye as a politician, he looks forward to continuing his work as an active citizen. He said people may be frustrated today, but from now on every election they will be asked to express their frustration at the ballot box.
He declared that he was “absolutely proud” of what he had achieved and had no regrets.
“I have left my teeth in the universe. And I will ensure that I pass on the baton to the next generation of leaders,” he said.
Lawmakers of a disbanded political party who are not barred from politics can retain their seats in parliament if they switch to a new party within 60 days.
Bita said party members will ride on the “new vehicle” to be launched on Friday, though he will not be part of it. The party declined to give details of the change.
The Parliament going forward had 148 legislators. If they all move together, they will lose the five seats of now-banned party executives.
“We are going to stick to the same path. A political party is just a vehicle, so we will wait and see which new party the MPs go to,” said Attabon Bupat, gathered with other party supporters at its headquarters in Bangkok.
“You can remove the agents who are the representatives of these people’s beliefs, but you cannot remove the beliefs,” Atafon, a 34-year-old political activist, told The Reporters. Service.
The court’s move drew widespread criticism and was seen as part of an attack on the country’s progressive movement over the years.
The party was denied power after the Senate refused to accept the appointment of its then leader Bida as Prime Minister. Unelected senators, empowered to vote on prime ministerial candidates under a constitution adopted in 2017 under a military government, said they opposed PIDA because of its intention to reform the defamation law. Move Forward was later removed from the coalition it formed with the now-ruling Pyu Thai Party and became the leader of the opposition.
The court rejected Move Forward’s contention that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the case and that the EC’s petition did not follow due process as it was not given an opportunity to defend itself before it was presented to the court.
Human rights organizations and other advocacy groups expressed concern over the court’s ruling.
“This decision is not a surprise and is unlikely to trigger large-scale protests as moving forward MPs remain a force in parliament, albeit under a different banner,” Matthew Wheeler, a regional analyst at the Brussels-based Crisis Group, said in an email. “But the decision further highlights that the 2017 constitution, drafted at the behest of coupmakers and ratified in a flawed referendum, is designed to constrain the will of the people rather than facilitate its expression.”
Prime Minister Shretha Thavisin has said that the Thai justice system is fair and impartial and that the government cannot interfere in judicial proceedings.
Thailand’s courts, particularly the Constitutional Court, are considered a bulwark of the country’s state establishment, which has used them and issued rulings to silence or overwhelm political opponents, nominally independent state institutions such as the Election Commission.
Move Forward’s predecessor, the Future Forward party, was dissolved by the Constitutional Court in 2020 on charges of violating electoral laws in donating to political parties. The dissolution of Future Forward, whose promises of reforms were particularly attractive to young people disillusioned after years of military rule, further highlighted the struggle between the progressive movement and conservative forces.
It was a catalyst for youth-led pro-democracy protests across the country in 2020. The protests were openly critical of the monarchy, which was previously considered untouchable and an important institution of Thai society.
Protests led to serious prosecutions under Article 112, which had previously been used relatively rarely. Critics say the law is often used as a tool to quell political dissent.
Move Forward, created as a new home for lawmakers from the disbanded Future Forward party, campaigned for an amendment to the Articles and other democratic reforms in the 2023 elections. Its first place suggested many voters were ready for change.
