A Thai court will decide the fate of the opposition’s continued march on Wednesday, in a case that has raised fears of another power struggle between the in charge of security and elected members.
The Constitutional Court will rule on the electoral body’s request to declare the winner of the 2023 election to go ahead after the same court ruled in January that its campaign to change the law protecting the monarchy from criticism could undermine the Thai political system. and the king as chief. state. The anti-establishment policy of Move Forward won wide support among voters, but it ran afoul of a powerful network of wealthy families, the security forces and the military in Thailand, who supported reforming the lese majeste law as a step too far in a country where kings consider kingship. sacrosanct.
Move Forward’s hardliners united to prevent the group from forming a government last year, but it remains the dominant force in parliament with plans that include military reforms and the abolition of big business. The group has denied any wrongdoing and has been ordered to withdraw its campaign under the Royal Defamation Act. He hoped that he would avoid the dissolution, arguing that the petition of the electoral commission did not follow the proper procedure. The decision comes as a crack emerges in the fragile conflict between the monarchy and another long-time rival, the ruling populist party Pheu Thai. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will face an impeachment trial next week for government appointments. He denies any wrongdoing. “To the crescendo.”
Also, political risk and uncertainty are reaching a crescendo, said Nattabhorn Buamahakul, director of government consultancy Vero Advocacy.
These decisions are very important, the fate of the main parties in the Parliament and the seat of the Prime Minister can lead the parliament to change the session, other discussions and – as we have seen before – street protests , he added. Thailand, Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, has been locked in two decades of corruption, coups and coups that have toppled elected governments and ruling parties, sometimes leading to protests. on the road.
Protests erupted in 2020 after Move Forward’s predecessor, Future Forward, collapsed due to campaign finance scandals.
Protests against the government have led to calls for the reform of the monarchy, breaking the law, which has put many activists in prison. The palace does not comment on lese-majesté’s laws.
Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, one of 11 party leaders facing a 10-year political ban, told Reuters last month that it was time to end the cycle. “I want to show to the establishment, and to the world, that spreading the party is not worth it,” he added.
He may be right, because it can be expected that, if he fails, the 143 senators alive in the party will retain their seats and organize it as a new group that can be more numerous. They are the only option for progressive voters, said Stithorn Thananithichot, director of Innovation for Democracy at the King Prajadhipok Institute.
The Orange, whatever their name, will vote orange, he said, referring to the party’s logo color.
