EC Pushes for Move Forward Party Dissolution Amid Controversy

[webfact]

 

Thailand's Election Commission (EC) has stepped up its legal efforts to dissolve the opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) by submitting additional documents to the Constitutional Court.

 

EC Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee revealed that these documents, delivered yesterday, address critical legal issues regarding the case.

 

Sawaeng affirmed that listing witnesses was superfluous because the court's previous ruling on the MFP's stance concerning the lese-majeste law furnished sufficient grounds for the EC to advance its case against the party.

 

MFP leader Chaithawat Tulathon has staunchly criticised the EC's actions, asserting that the dissolution of a political party is a monumental step requiring comprehensive fact-finding and meticulous investigation.

 

He stressed the importance of the EC strictly following the legal procedures laid out in the organic law on political parties, rather than making arbitrary interpretations.

 

In light of the EC's clarification issued on June 13, which faced backlash for allegedly bypassing key procedural steps, Sawaeng commented, "Let’s wait for a ruling from the court."

 

The EC's petition, filed in March, urges the court to disband the MFP based on its ruling from January 31. The court had found that the MFP’s attempts to amend Section 112 suggested a motive to subvert the constitutional monarchy.

 

This ruling underpins the EC's claim that the MFP breached Section 92 of the organic law on political parties, which empowers the court to dissolve any party deemed a threat to the constitutional monarchy.

 

Earlier this month, the court accepted the petition for a hearing.

 

The EC has requested the dissolution of the party, the revocation of the rights of party executives to stand for election, and a decade-long ban on those executives from registering or serving as executives of a new party, as per Sections 92 and 94 of the law.

 

The MFP had suggested amending the lese-majeste law to stipulate that only the Bureau of the Royal Household could file lese-majeste complaints. Currently, any person or group can file such a complaint, obligating police to investigate.

 

The MFP asserts that the existing provision permits politicians and authority figures to misuse the law to quash dissenting opinions. Additionally, the party has called for reduced sentences for lese-majeste convictions, which currently range from three to fifteen years.

 

Courts often cite the gravity of the offence as grounds for denying bail to individuals awaiting trial or appealing their convictions.

 

Picture courtesy: Daily News

 

-- 2024-06-17

 

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[Pouatchee]

is the EC is sub-department of the phuke thai party?

[lordgrinz]

Nothing short of a civil war is going to correct the mess in Thailand, the ball is in the court of people of Thailand, they either want to move forward, or they accept being ruled by the Elites.

[Ben Zioner]

When I was a child I asked my Dad if dinosaurs could catch rabies. Thailand just gave me the answer.

[zzaa09]

37 minutes ago, Pouatchee said:

is the EC is sub-department of the phuke thai party?

The EC is simply an extension of the establishment.

Nothing more, nothing less.

[zzaa09]

34 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

Nothing short of a civil war is going to correct the mess in Thailand, the ball is in the court of people of Thailand, they either want to move forward, or they accept being ruled by the Elites.

Yet.....isn't that the way it is everywhere? 

Ruled by elites. 

 

 

Actually, if one is observant, you'll find that everyday Thais [and lifestyles] really aren't oppressed as it's been imagined to be. 

[seajae]

shows how corrupt these people are, they should be the ones under investigation for what they have done and are doing plus how much it took for them to actualluy do this. We can only hope that the BS they have used to get this to the constitutional court is finally shown up to be totally wrong and that move forward did not threaten anyone, Thailand will become the laughing stock of the world if they ley this corrupt charge become a reality

[Enzian]

33 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

Actually, if one is observant, you'll find that everyday Thais [and lifestyles] really aren't oppressed as it's been imagined to be.

I might agree with you if it weren't for the realities of the educational system.

Edited June 17 by Enzian

[ikke1959]

The EC should be prosecuted for bringing unrest and defamation. They failed to do their job as if the MFP really had the intention to bring down the monarchy the EC should not allowed them to take part in the elections, as it was known already. However now they are winners of the election the EC has got the plan to dissolve them and ban them.. A reaction that is only done because they did not expected that the MFP had so many votes. Besides that sections as 92 that the EC is allowed to without reason or inquiry to reject parties are not democratic. I hope the court will for once use their common sense, as no harm has done to anyone or any institution. In the Western  educated world this would never be possible. It is only a reason more to amend section 112 as again it will be used now to dissolve a party

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

He stressed the importance of the EC strictly following the legal procedures laid out in the organic law on political parties, rather than making arbitrary interpretations.

The EC seems to have an agenda against the only opposition party in Thailand.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

is the EC is sub-department of the phuke thai party?

Certainly contained within the back pocket of the PTP

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

Nothing short of a civil war is going to correct the mess in Thailand, the ball is in the court of people of Thailand, they either want to move forward, or they accept being ruled by the Elites.

Thais will accept the latter... they like to moan on social media, watch Tik Tok and do bugger-all else to help themselves.

[wwest5829]

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

The EC should be prosecuted for bringing unrest and defamation. They failed to do their job as if the MFP really had the intention to bring down the monarchy the EC should not allowed them to take part in the elections, as it was known already. However now they are winners of the election the EC has got the plan to dissolve them and ban them.. A reaction that is only done because they did not expected that the MFP had so many votes. Besides that sections as 92 that the EC is allowed to without reason or inquiry to reject parties are not democratic. I hope the court will for once use their common sense, as no harm has done to anyone or any institution. In the Western  educated world this would never be possible. It is only a reason more to amend section 112 as again it will be used now to dissolve a party

Agreed. While recognizing this is for the Thai citizens to deal with, as an outside observer, this action by the EC is bringing discredit upon the Kingdom of Thailand. It is a far greater offense than any proposal to review any law, which has been globally recognized as serving political ends and not its original purpose to defend the monarchy. How embarrassing for Thailand to allow such manipulation of the citizens votes.

[Geir Rasch]

Norway is also a constitutional monarchy and like Thailand have a lese-majeste law, but only the king can file cases, not unlike what MFP propose. This has never been a threat to the monarchy in Norway, can EC tell us why it will be a threat i Thailand?

Edited June 17 by Geir Rasch

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Actually, if one is observant, you'll find that everyday Thais [and lifestyles] really aren't oppressed as it's been imagined to be. 

You polled 60 million Thais?

[Brian Hull]

When the democratically elected Move Forward Party finally gets to govern as the proletariat have made clear, one of their first moves should be to dissolve the Electoral Commission and its troglodytes. If Thailand's self appointed rulers continue to block democratic reform they will eventually face a revolution.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

MFP breached Section 92 of the organic law on political parties, which empowers the court to dissolve any party deemed a threat to the constitutional monarchy.

MY reading of the Organic Act in other sections is that subsequent to a successful parliamentary legislative action (create, amend or abolish a law), the CC has the power to adjudicate the legality of such action and order any appropriate legal consequence where held unconstitutional. It would seem extraordinary, if not unconstitutional for the CC to insert itself into either a mere thought of a proposed bill, to a parliamentary reading of a proposed bill, or prior to any legislation action to refuse, accept, amend or pass the bill.

Obviously, if the bill is defeated (ie., majority parliamentary vote), there shouldn't be any constitutional crisis. The status quo remains.

Otherwise, it would seem appropriate then for the EC or the congressional minority who failed to stop passage of the bill to elevate the issue to the CC for adjudication. In any typical 'constitutional democracy,' sovereignty of the nation lies in its people who are represented politically by an elected legislature. But in EC's complaint and remedy it seems to ignore such sovereignty.