The Move Forward party clearly won the parliamentary elections in Thailand, but remained in the opposition. Now it is being dissolved by the judiciary – allegedly because of a specific plan.
The Constitutional Court in Thailand has dissolved the progressive Move Forward Party under pressure from conservative forces. The court made the decision unanimously, said Judge Punya Udchachon. The reason for this was that the party endangered the monarchy, local media reported.
Law on Lèse majesté downtown
At the request of the electoral commission, the court had examined whether the party had acted unconstitutionally because it had campaigned to relax the strict lese majeste law. This currently provides for up to 15 years in prison for violations and is considered one of the strictest in the world. Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn enjoys a quasi-divine status. However, critics say the laws are being abused to suppress political debate.
The decision also has personnel consequences: According to the court, the former top candidate Pita Limjaroenrat and other leading members of the party are not allowed to hold political office for the next ten years. The judiciary has thus initially excluded the country's most important opposition politician from politics.
Incomprehension among party and supporters
After the court's decision was announced, a few dozen supporters gathered in front of the Move Forward Party's headquarters in Bangkok. 60-year-old Sakhorn Kamtalang said the court had no right to dissolve the party. “For me, Pita is my head of government,” she stressed.
The party also reacted with incomprehension to the ruling: Party chairman Chaithawat Tulathon said at a press conference that the court's decision was a dangerous precedent for the interpretation of the constitution. He also announced that a new party with the same ideology would be founded this week – on August 9.
A few days ago, deputy party leader Sirikanya Tansakul had already hinted at the move in a Facebook video: “The spirit of Future Forward and Move Forward will remain, no matter what name the party has.”
Judgment hardly surprising – party bans common
In the video, days before the verdict, Move Forward reiterated that it had already become an important political institution that would not be silenced even if it were dissolved. The video, which was shared on Facebook, said: “The dissolution of a political party only ends a legal organization, but can never silence its ideology.”
The court's decision should come as no surprise not only to the party itself – but also to political observers: In January, Thailand's Constitutional Court had already classified the MFP's reform plans as unconstitutional and declared that they amounted to an attempt to overthrow the constitutional monarchy. In March, the election commission then applied to the country's highest court for the dissolution of the largest opposition party.
Banning parties is nothing new in Thailand. Move Forward's predecessor, Future Forward, was also banned in 2020. Often, members then simply form a new party.
Move Forward knocked out by Pheu Thai
Move Forward won the parliamentary elections last year by a clear margin, but still failed to gain power. Its charismatic former frontrunner Pita was repeatedly rejected as a candidate for prime minister by senators close to the military.
After weeks of political turmoil, Pita was ousted by former alliance partner Pheu Thai and its candidate Srettha Thavisin, who was elected head of government in August last year and has been in office since November. Move Forward has been the strongest opposition force since then.
