[ad_1]
Thailand’s Constitutional Court yesterday decided to dissolve the pro-democracy Progress Party and ban its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, from political activity for a decade on charges of trying to undermine the monarchy.
Judge Punya announced: “The Constitutional Court voted unanimously to dissolve (the party) Kadima and to ban for ten years the members of the executive committee who served between March 25, 2021 and January 31, 2024 (…)”, including Pita Limjaroenrat Uchachon.
Move Forward was unable to form a government after winning last year’s election when members of the Senate, a conservative body appointed by the military, refused to back its candidate for prime minister. Move Forward then began to lead the opposition.
The electoral commission filed the petition against the Progressive Party after the Constitutional Court ruled in January that the party should stop defending a legal change, Article 112, which protects the monarchy from criticism and carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison for each violation.
In its arguments to the Thai court, the party argued that the Constitutional Court had no jurisdiction to rule and that the petition filed by the Election Commission was procedurally irregular because it was not provided an opportunity to defend itself before submitting the case to the court.
The court assured that it was competent and that its previous decision of January was sufficient evidence for the Election Commission to present its case without hearing further evidence from the party.
Find a House
The fate of the remaining non-executive deputies remains unclear from the judgment known so far, but Pita has declared to the AP that the party will ensure a “smooth transition to a new home,” i.e. a new party.
Members of a dissolved party can retain their seats in parliament if they switch to a new party within 60 days.
The legal action was one of many that drew widespread criticism and was seen as part of a years-long assault on the country’s progressive movement by conservative forces trying to maintain their grip on power.
[ad_2]
Source link
