Thai court dissolves election-winning Move Forward Party, bans its leaders from politics

The ruling effectively wipes out the votes of 14 million people who had hoped for sweeping changes to one of Asia’s least equal societies; stubs out the political career of party frontman Pita Limjaroenrat and nudges Thailand deeper into political and economic crisis.

For two decades, Thailand’s arch-royalist conservatives, backed by the army, have smothered nascent pro-democracy movements with coups and court rulings.

In that time the economy has wilted from the bright spark of Southeast Asia to the slowest growing among its peers, with growth dribbling along at 1.9 per cent last year.

On Wednesday the nine-member bench ruled MFP was guilty of attempting to overthrow the monarchy with its campaign’s call to reform of the lèse-majesté law, which carries up to 15 years in jail per conviction of insulting the monarchy and effectively muzzles open debate on role of the kingdom’s apex institution in modern Thailand.

In protracted proceedings, the bench dissolved the party and banned its executives from politics for a decade in a ruling which said the “party’s policy to amend 112 is considered an attempt to denigrate the monarchy institution”.

The court found that “party executives violated the law indirectly by employing other MPs to present the amendment of 112 to the public” and “used the monarchy to win the popular vote”.

MFP is expected to swiftly regroup under a new name with new leadership.

Despite the blow of losing their best frontline political communicators – including Pita, 43, whose tilt for prime minister briefly electrified the nation – party members are confident the electoral future is theirs to lose.

At a press conference at MFP’s headquarters hours after the dissolution, the newly banned executives defended the