The United States expresses its concerns over the Constitutional Court’s ruling to dissolve Thailand’s opposition Move Forward Party and ban 11 of its executives from politics.
On Wednesday, the Constitutional Court’s nine judges ruled unanimously that the Move Forward Party posed a threat to the constitutional monarchy and national security by continuously and seriously campaigning for the amendment of the law.
The ruling effectively strips representation from over 14 million Thais who voted for the party in the May 2023 election, raising questions about the country’s electoral system, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement issued shortly after the ruling on Wednesday.
“This decision disenfranchises the more than 14 million Thais who voted for the Move Forward Party,” Miller said in the statement. “The Constitutional Court’s decision also jeopardizes Thailand’s democratic progress and runs counter to the aspirations of the Thai people for a strong, democratic future.”
The United States urged Thailand to ensure “fully inclusive political participation” and to protect democracy and freedoms of association and expression. The statement also emphasized it did not support any particular political party but expressed deep concern over the court’s decision as a close ally of Thailand.
The Move Forward Party won the most seats in last year’s election but was unable to gain sufficient support from other parties to form a coalition government due to its stance against Section 112 of the Criminal Code, widely known as the lese-majeste law.
In the ruling, the Court cited a proposal Move Forward Party made in 2021 to amend the law, its policy statements during its campaign for the election as well as other various activities deemed as intents to amend the law.
According to the court, such attempts diminished the value of the royal institution, showed intention to abuse the royal institution for political gain in the general election, hurt people’s faith in the institution and affected national security.
Dissolution of political parties is not uncommon in Thailand, which has experienced intermittent political turmoil and military coups over the past two decades. (TNA)
