Thailand’s Constitutional Court yesterday accepted a petition seeking the disbanding of the opposition Move Forward Party (MFP), in connection with the party’s pledge to amend the country’s severe lese-majeste law. The court said that it agreed to take on a complaint filed by the Election Commission on March 12. The complaint requested that it disband … Read more
Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) has taken another step toward the disbanding of the Move Forward Party (MFP), which finished first in last year’s general election on a progressive platform. In a decision yesterday, the Commission said that it would ask the Constitutional Court to dissolve the MFP, because of its campaign promise to amend Article … Read more
Through the twists and turns of Thai politics, the impact of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra looks enduring. To recap, billionaire businessman-turned-politician Thaksin comfortably won two elections in the early 2000s. He achieved brisk economic growth following the Asian Financial Crisis but faced criticisms of meshing business interests with politics. Thaksin was toppled in a … Read more
A Thai ultra-royalist lawyer has lodged a petition seeking the dissolution of the country’s progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), over its plan to amend the country’s harsh lese-majeste law. Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a former senator and “serial petitioner” with a track record of initiating legal campaigns against opposition politicians, filed the petition with the country’s election … Read more
The Pheu Thai-led government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is a Frankenstein’s monster cobbled together from some 10 political parties, and includes ministers from six parties. The fact that junior coalition partners Bhumjaithai, Palang Pracharath, and Thai Raksa Chart managed to get 16 of the 36 total ministerial portfolios, including the interior, agriculture, energy, and … Read more
Advertisement One of Thailand’s most prominent progressive politicians has been banned from standing for political office for life for breaching “ethical standards” in a photo that she posted online 13 years ago. Pannika Wanich, 35, is a member of the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), and was elected to parliament under its predecessor, the now-dissolved … Read more