Thai Court Dissolves Move Forward Opposition Party

Thailand's Constitutional Court has ordered the dissolution of the anti-establishment opposition party Move Forward, ruling its campaign to amend a law that protects the monarchy from criticism risked undermining the democratic system, Chayut Setboonsarng and Panu Wongcha-um reported for Reuters.

Move Forward's leaders announced that the surviving 143 lawmakers would regroup and form a new party. I Photo: ก้าวไกลของประชาชน - Move Forward 

The disbanding of Move Forward, which won the most seats in the 2023 election, is the latest setback for Thailand's major political parties, which are embroiled in a two-decade battle for power against a nexus of influential conservatives, old money families, and the royalist military.

Though the dissolution could anger millions of young and urban voters who backed Move Forward and its progressive agenda, the impact of the ruling could be minimal, with only its 11 party executives receiving 10-year political bans as a result of the verdict.

Hours after the ruling, Move Forward's leaders announced that the surviving 143 lawmakers would regroup and form a new party, as they did in 2020 when predecessor Future Forward was dissolved over a campaign funding violation.

Deputy leader Sirikanya Tansakul said the new party, which would be the biggest in parliament, would take on the same core ideology and would not neglect its promises to the electorate, as Panarat Thepgumpanat and Napat Wesshasartar also reported for AP.