Move Forward chief reiterates 'no plan to change Thai democratic system'
Move Forward Party leader Chaithawat Tulathon said that the Constitutional Court’s ruling against his party would be detrimental to Thailand's political landscape, while reiterating that the party has no intention to overthrow the monarchy.
The party chief told reporters that the ruling would have an impact on the relationship between democracy and the monarchy institution as it forbids the use of legislative procedures to settle the contentious lese majeste law.
"What transpired today and the fallout from it affects not just Move Forward but the whole Thai governmental structure," he said.
The nine Constitutional Court judges ruled unanimously on Wednesday that the main opposition party and its former leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, were guilty of seeking to overthrow the country's constitutional monarchy system, because of its intention to amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code.
They said such an effort was in breach of Article 49 of the charter which stipulated that nobody shall act in ways that would overthrow the democratic regime with the King as head of state.
When asked whether the court ruling would lead to the dissolution of Move Forward, like its predecessor, Future Forward Party, Chaitawat said the party had not reached that stage yet. He added that the party would not be complacent and would be ready legally.
Soon after the ruling came out, political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana revealed that he would approach the Election Commission to demand the dissolution of the party that has the most number of seats in the lower House, citing Section 92 of the Organic Act on Political Parties (2017).
The law calls for the dissolution of a political party in a case where the Election Commission has reasonable evidence to believe the party has committed an act to overthrow the democratic form of government with the King as head of state.
