The progressive party that won the most seats in Thailand’s last election faced two possible dissolution bids on Thursday, after losing a court case over its bid to reform the kingdom’s tough royal insult laws.
Nine Constitutional Court judges ruled on Wednesday that the Move Forward Party’s (MFP) campaign pledge to loosen lese-majeste legislation amounted to an attempt to overthrow the monarchy. An activist on Thursday lodged a formal request with the Election Commission of Thailand, the country’s top polling body, asking for MFP to be dissolved.
“My petition asks the election commission... to rule on whether the Move Forward Party should be disbanded, and its executives lose their political rights,” petitioner Ruangkrai Leekitwattana told presspersons. Mr. Ruangkrai asked the court to dissolve MFP twice last year, but both times the petition was rejected.
A second petition was also presented on Thursday by royalist lawyer Theerayut Suwankesorn.
“The Court ruled that Pita Limjaroenrat and the MFP’s actions are against the Constitutional Monarchy,” he said, calling on the EC to seek the dissolution of the party.
MFP upended Thailand’s political order in May’s election, finishing first after a campaign promising to reform the kingdom’s strict lese-majeste laws.
The court on Wednesday unanimously ordered the party to stop all efforts to reform the laws against insulting or defaming King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
