Thailand’s Supreme Court on Wednesday dissolved the opposition Move Forward Party, a year after the progressive movement won parliamentary elections in the Southeast Asian country.
The Constitutional Court in Bangkok has banned the party, with the former party leader Pita Limjaroenrat and other prominent figures were banned from holding office for 10 years.
According to local media, the motive for the court case was Move Forward’s opposition to the Thai monarchy.
The court investigated the party after the electoral commission complained that Move Forward may have acted unconstitutionally by calling for an easing of strict restrictions on criticism of the monarchy.
The decision came as no surprise to political observers or to the party itself.
In recent days, Move Forward posted a video on Facebook saying: “The dissolution of a political party can only bring down a legal organization, but it can never silence an ideology.”
Party dissolved, one year after winning the elections
Move Forward won the parliamentary elections in May 2023, but failed to seize power due to opposition from conservative Thai forces.
Pita, the party’s charismatic leader during the elections, was repeatedly blocked in his bid to become prime minister by senators with close ties to the country’s military.
His opponents feared Move Forward’s plan to reform the country’s strict laws that ban criticism of the monarchy, which can be punished with prison sentences of up to 15 years.
After weeks of post-election wrangling, Pita lost to Sretta Thavisin of the Pheu Thai Party, who became prime minister in August 2023.
Move Forward was not the first party to be banned in Thailand. Its predecessor Future Forward was dissolved in 2020.
The party’s vice-chairman said in a Facebook video that the spirit of Future Forward and Move Forward would continue, “regardless of the party’s name.”
EU criticizes court ruling
The decision by Thailand’s Supreme Court is “a setback for political pluralism,” a spokeswoman for the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said.
“No democratic system can function without a plurality of parties and candidates,” Nabila Massrali said in a statement on Wednesday.
Massrali stressed that the Move Forward Party received more than 14 million votes and was Thailand’s leading party in the general election in May 2023.
Authorities must ensure that all legitimately elected lawmakers in Thailand’s parliament can continue their work, “regardless of the party from which they were elected,” Massrali said.
