The Constitutional Court will deliver its verdict on the petition seeking the dissolution of the Move Forward Party (MFP) on 7 August, asserting that there will be no further deliberation regarding the case from now on.

According to a  press release today (17 July), the Court stated that, following a discussion among judges, it will reach a resolution on the dissolution of the MFP on 7 August and the verdict will be delivered at 15.00 on the same day,

The court also asserted that there is sufficient evidence to make a decision on the case, so no further deliberation or evidence examination will be held from now on.

However, Thai PBS reported that the Party’s leader Chaithawat Tulathon said on 16 July that the Party had filed an additional petition with the Court, arguing that the Election Commission’s petition seeking the Party’s dissolution was unlawful. He also requested the Court to conduct further examination and to ask for additional documents from the EC, which were referenced in the evidence lists but have yet to be submitted.

Today (17 July), he told the media in response to the Court’s announcement that it is the Court’s discretion whether it will continue the deliberation or not, and that the party cannot intervene. However, he remarked that if the Court holds further deliberation, it would be better for both parties to fight with their full effort.

He said he hoped the Party’s additional petition would be helpful, noting that he is confident with the evidence and the party’s argument. The Party’s leader still believed that the party would not be dissolved, but if dissolved, he said everything has already been settled.

The case follows the Court’s ruling earlier this year that found the party’s election campaign to amend the royal defamation law treasonous and considered it an attempt to overthrow the democratic regime with the King as a Head of State.

Following the Court’s ruling, The EC then filed the petition seeking the dissolution of the MFP, and the Court accepted the case accordingly.

According to the law, if dissolved, the Party’s leader and executives will be banned from political positions for 10 years, and during this period, they cannot form or join a new party.