Thai court to deliberate on opposition Move Forward’s dissolution case

BANGKOK, June 12 (Reuters) – Thailand’s Constitutional Court is scheduled on Wednesday to deliberate on a case seeking to disband the opposition Move Forward Party, the surprise winner of last year’s general election, over a key campaign promise.

The hearing is part of a trio of sensitive court cases that have ramped up political uncertainty in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.

The court, which is expected to issue a statement on Wednesday, has not set a verdict date for the case involving Move Forward.

Move Forward won massive youth support with its lively progressive agenda that was amplified by a sophisticated social media campaign, brushing aside military-backed parties in the 2023 polls and securing 30% of the seats in the lower house.

The court in April agreed to hear a case by the Election Commission seeking to dissolve Move Forward and impose a 10-year political ban on the party’s executives for a campaign to reform the country’s royal insult – or lese majeste – law.

The law, which protects the monarchy from insult and defamation, carries a punishment of up to 15 years jail for each perceived offense. It has been applied to prosecute over 270 people since 2020, according to legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

In its defence submission, Move Forward said the Electoral Commission’s complaint was unlawful and it also contested the Constitutional Court’s jurisdiction over the matter, according to a statement on Sunday.

In January, the Constitutional Court ruled in an earlier case that Move Forward’s plan to amend lese majeste laws was a hidden effort to undermine the monarchy. The court ordered the party to stop its campaign, which Move Forward did.

Pita Limjaroenrat, who led Move Forward during the election, said the party had no ill intent in its proposal to amend the lese majeste law.

“We wanted to preserve the king’s status and power so that he is above politics,” Pita told reporters on Sunday.

“We do not want… the gap between the king and the people to widen.”

In 2020, the Move Forward’s predecessor party, Future Forward, was dissolved over a campaign funding violation.

Future Forward’s dissolution was among the factors that triggered massive anti-government street protests in 2020, calling for the removal of then Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and reform of the monarchy.