Move Forward Party faces potential dissolution over royal insult laws

The Move Forward Party (MFP), Thailand’s main opposition, is on the brink of dissolution, following a petition submitted to the Election Commission (EC) by leading activists. The objection was lodged on account of the party’s position on royal insult laws.

Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a political activist, took his petition to the EC on Thursday, requesting the dissolution of the MFP. This move was triggered by the Constitutional Court’s judgement on Wednesday that the MFP’s consistent attempts to modify Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or the lese-majeste law, suggested a plan to destabilise the constitutional monarchy.

Ruangkrai justified his petition with Section 92 of the organic law on political parties. This stipulates that if the EC discovers evidence of a political party’s endeavour to overthrow the constitutional monarchy, it is required to petition the Constitutional Court to consider dissolving that party. The implicated party’s executives would then be barred from enrolling to run in elections for a decade, said Ruangkrai.

“The court’s ruling is legally binding on all agencies. The EC must carry out its duty.”

The ruling on Wednesday upheld the claim that the Move Forward party was attempting to abolish the constitutional monarchy via its proposal to amend the lese-majeste law.

Ruangkrai also requested the EC to seek the court’s verdict on whether MFP executives ought to be prohibited from contesting in elections because of the same alleged misconduct. He announced intentions to file a related petition with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

He also mentioned that he was accumulating evidence to decide whether to lodge a similar petition against the governing Pheu Thai Party. Last year, Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin referred to amending Section 112 during their election campaigns, Ruangkrai added.

Additional petitions

The EC was also presented with a similar petition from lawyer Theerayut Suwankesorn. Theerayut had asked the Constitutional Court last year to halt the MFP’s attempts to amend Section 112. He insisted that Wednesday’s ruling obligated the EC to act against the MFP.

Addressing Ruangkrai’s threat to file for Pheu Thai’s dissolution, Sorawong Thienthong, Pheu Thai’s secretary-general, clarified that Srettha had merely responded to journalists’ queries about a proposed amendment to Section 112 when he was a prime ministerial candidate. Sorawong stressed that amending Section 112 was not one of the party’s campaign policies and that they had focused primarily on issues affecting the daily lives of the people, reported Bangkok Post.

In response to the potential dissolution case, Teerajchai Phunthumas, an MFP MP for Bangkok and an opposition whip assured that the party would study the full text of the Constitutional Court’s ruling before taking any action.

“If a dissolution case is brought against the party, we are ready to fight.”

On Wednesday, the Constitutional Court ordered the MFP to cease all efforts to amend Section 112. They declared campaigning on the issue as an attempt to end constitutional democracy with the King as head of state in violation of Section 49 of the constitution. The court also stated that the party, along with its former leader Pita Limjaroenrat, had tried to either change or revoke Section 112 when its 44 MPs submitted a bill to amend Section 112 on March 25, 2021.