On Wednesday, August 7, the Constitutional Court of Thailand ordered the dissolution of the largest opposition party in parliament – the Move Forward Party, because the party campaigned to amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code (commonly known as the lese-majeste law), with the intention of overthrowing the constitutional monarchy. This decision dealt a major blow to members of the Move Forward Party.
The Move Forward Party was established in 2020 as a new political party advocating for reform. During the 2023 Thai House of Representatives elections, the party advocated for amending Article 112, supporting same-sex marriage, and liberalizing alcohol laws, and won by a large margin.
Thailand has strict lese-majeste laws, which can impose up to 15 years in prison for anyone who defames, insults, or threatens the king, queen, heir-apparent, or regent. In the latter half of 2020, Thailand saw a student movement calling for reforms within the monarchy. Authorities used Article 112 to arrest several political dissenters.
In 2023, the Move Forward Party’s proposal to amend Article 112 during the election garnered support from young voters. On May 14 of the same year, Thailand held House of Representatives elections, where the Move Forward Party secured 151 seats out of 500, becoming the largest single party in parliament. However, their alliance partner and the runner-up in the elections, Phuea Thai Party, disagreed with the Move Forward Party’s stance on amending Article 112 and terminated their alliance.
Subsequently, Phuea Thai Party formed a new alliance with other political parties and established a government led by real estate tycoon Srettha Thavisin as the prime minister.
The Move Forward Party’s push to amend Article 112 touched on sensitive royal issues. Conservative lawyer Theerayut Suwankesorn filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court last year, alleging that the Move Forward Party violated Article 49 of the Constitution, which states that no one can exercise rights or freedoms to overthrow the constitutional monarchy, and requested the court to prohibit the party from further advocating the amendment of Article 112.
On January 31 this year, the Constitutional Court ruled to prohibit the Move Forward Party from expressing any opinions related to amending Article 112 in any form.
Subsequently, the Election Commission requested the dissolution of the Move Forward Party to the Constitutional Court in March, citing “reasonable evidence” that the party had attempted to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.
During the ruling on Wednesday, the judges stated that the Move Forward Party’s campaign to repeal Article 112 “aims to separate the monarchy from the soul of the Thai nation,” leading to the party’s dissolution. The judgment also banned party leaders, including chairman Pita Limjaroenrat, from participating in elections, forming new political parties, or holding positions within new political parties for 10 years. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed.
According to a report by Nikkei Asia, Wanwichit Boonprong, a political science lecturer at Rangsit University in Thailand, stated that Wednesday’s ruling will weaken the opposition’s strength and make it difficult for the ousted leaders of the Move Forward Party to engage in political activities. “What they can do now is to voice their ideas as part of civil society movements,” he said.
The Move Forward Party was previously known as the Future Forward Party and faced a similar fate. In March 2019, during the general election, the Future Forward Party emerged as the third largest party in parliament as a new political party. Its party leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, had his parliamentary status suspended by the Constitutional Court in May of the same year due to a media shareholding case, and later in November, his status as a member of parliament was revoked.
In February 2020, the Constitutional Court dissolved the Future Forward Party on the grounds that Thanathorn had unlawfully extended a loan to his party. Sixteen key members of the party, including Thanathorn, were banned from running for public office or participating in any new political party for 10 years.