The Constitutional Court ruled today (7 August) to dissolve the Move Forward Party, the largest opposition party and the party with the highest number of seats in the House of Representatives, on the grounds that the party had committed treason by campaigning to amend the royal defamation law.

The party’s executive board members in office from March 2021- 31 January 2024 are also banned from politics for 10 years, meaning that they are banned from running in elections, forming a political party, or serving as an executive board members in another party. 

Meanwhile, its MPs will have to join a new party within 60 days or lose their MP status.

These are the executive members who are banned from politics.

1. Pita Limjaroenrat (Leader from 2020-2023)
2. Chaithawat Tulathon (Secretary-General from 2020-2023 and Leader from 2023- present)
3. Nateepat Kulsetthasith (Treasurer from 2020-present)
4. Nakornpong Supanimittrakul (Registrar from 2020-present)
5. Padipat Suntiphada (Executive member for the northern region from 2020-2023)
6. Somchai Fangchonchit (Executive member for the southern region from 2020-2023)
7. Amarat Chokepamitkul (Executive member for the central region from 2020-present)
8. Bencha Saengchantra (Executive member for the eastern region from 2020-present)
9. Apichart Sirisunthorn (Executive member for the northeast region from 2020-2023 and Secretary-General from 2023-present)
10. Suthep U-on (Executive member for the labour sector from 2020-present)
11. Apisit Promrit (Executive member for the northern region from 2023-present)

In this case, the Election Commission filed the petition in March following the 31 January Constitutional Court ruling that the MFP and Pita 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, accusing the party of trying to reduce protection for the King by proposing that only the Bureau of the Royal Household should be allowed to file royal defamation complaints and of exploiting the monarchy for its own benefit during the election. The Court 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 prohibits any future amendment to the royal defamation law through any means “that are not the lawful legislative process.”

The complaint against Move Forward and Pita was filed by lawyer Theerayut Suwankesorn, who requested that the court rule whether Move Forward was attempting to overthrow the democratic regime with the King as the head of state by campaigning to amend the royal defamation law and for the court to order the party to end its campaign.

Theerayut was a lawyer for Suwit Thongprasert, a leader of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee and formerly a monk known as Buddha Issara.

The Constitutional Court previously ruled on 10 November 2021 that the calls for monarchy reform and other monarchy-related activities organised by activists Anon Nampa, Panussaya Sitthijirawattanakul, Panupong Jadnok, and associated organisations also counted as treason, as these acts constituted abuse of constitutional rights and liberties with the intent to overthrow the democratic regime with the King as the Head of State. Activists and other associated organisations were duly ordered to stop such activities.

Since the 2017 Constitution came into effect, the Constitutional Court has previously dissolved two political parties. The Thai Raksa Chart Party was dissolved in March 2019 for being in opposition to the democratic regime with the King as the Head of State after it named former princess Ubolratana Mahidol, King Vajiralongkorn’s older sister, as its candidate for Prime Minister in the 2019 election. MFP’s predecessor, the Future Forward Party, was dissolved in February 2020 for taking a loan from its leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit because the Court ruled that taking the loan constituted the receipt of illegally acquired money, property, or other benefit, as prohibited by Article 72 of the 2017 Organic Act on Political Parties.

latest update: 17:56