The Election Commission (EC) has unanimously agreed to petition the Constitutional Court, seeking the dissolution of the Move Forward Party after the court ruled that the party’s campaign to amend the royal defamation law is treasonous.

The EC on Tuesday unanimously reached an agreement to file the petition, requesting the Constitutional Court to consider dissolving the MFP and disqualifying its executive committee members.

The court ruled on 31 January that the MFP and its former leader Pita Limjaroenrat abused their constitutional rights and liberties in a bid to overthrow the democratic regime with the King as the Head of State by campaigning to amend the royal defamation law after conservative lawyer Theerayut Suwankesorn filed a petition with the Court to rule on this matter.

The Court also ruled that proposing amendments to the royal defamation law and publishing content on the party’s website similar to a draft amendment which the party proposed in the last parliament term indicates that the party not only planned to reduce protection for the monarchy but sought to hide its intention through the use of legislative processes. Asserting that the royal family is above politics and politically neutral, the Court declared that proposing to amend the royal defamation law as part of an election campaign amounted to ‘lowering’ the institution and allowing it to be exploited for the party's own benefit during the election. It also found that this put the monarchy in direct conflict with the people and was politically divisive.

The Court ordered Move Forward and Pita to end all actions and forms of expression related to repeal of the royal defamation law. It also prohibited any future amendment to the royal defamation law through any means “that are not the lawful legislative process.”