The Constitutional Court of Thailand yesterday accepted a claim against the Move Forward party, winner of the May elections, for "trying to overthrow" the country's democratic system, which may mean the dissolution of the party and the disqualification of its leaders. .
The complaint against the formation occurs due to its proposal to reform the lèse majesté law, according to a statement from the Constitutional Court, and has been accepted by the court one day before Parliament meets to elect the prime minister.
The party, led by Pita Limjaroenrat and which has 15 days to respond to the court, is accused of "trying to overthrow the democratic system with the king as head of state", according to article 49 of the Constitution.
The Constitutional decision comes the same day that it accepted another complaint against Pita, the main candidate for prime minister, for allegedly having shares in a media outlet, something prohibited by electoral regulations and that could entail a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and his disqualification for 20. The judicial harassment against Avanzar, a progressive party that seeks democratic reforms in the country, began before the elections on May 14 and worsened after his victory, which occurred unexpectedly.
Pita heads a coalition of eight parties that add up to 312 of the 500 deputies of the House of Representatives, elected in the elections. This large majority in the lower house, however, is not enough to be elected as the next president since the 250 members of the Senate also participate in the selection process, fully elected by the extinct military junta (2014-2019).
Avanzar, heir to the dissolved Future Forward party, does not have much sympathy in the Senate, which could bury the election of Pita, which requires a minimum of 376 supports.
The legal cases against Avanzar and its leader are reminiscent of the case of Future Forward, which was dissolved in February 2020 by court order and its leaders, including Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, were banned for 10 years on charges of having received an illegal loan.
The decision was criticized by the European Union and the United States and sparked student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in 2020 and 2021.
Faced with the scenario that Parliament does not get to vote with a sufficient majority, Thailand could again be forced to go to the polls again, the interim deputy prime minister, Wissanu Krea-ngam, said in early June.
Born in 1980 into a wealthy Bangkok family, Limjaroenrat studied in New Zealand and the United States, and represents a new generation of politicians antagonizing the hitherto ruling classes. His closeness, the ease of expressing himself and connecting with all social classes and his face of not having broken a plate, among other factors, won the sympathy of young voters and those disenchanted with traditional politics in May.
On Tuesday, the interim prime minister and former head of the former military junta, General Prayut Chan-ocha, announced that he is leaving politics and will not try to renew his position in today's vote in Parliament to choose the head of government.
