The court-enforced dissolution of the popular Move Forward Party has alarmed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Australia has joined the U.S. in expressing concern over the political situation in Thailand following the Constitutional Court’s nine-judge decision to dissolve the country’s main opposition, the Move Forward Party (MFP), and ban 11 of its leading members from political involvement.
“Australia believes that inclusivity, pluralism, and freedom of expression are key democratic principles,” Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said in a statement.
“These principles are not served by the dissolution of the Move Forward Party.”
It also notes the record turnout of 75.22 percent in the May 2023 election, where the MFP won over 14 million votes.
The statement concluded, “As a close friend, Australia encourages Thailand to ensure inclusive political participation that reflects the will of the people.”
The State Department echoed this sentiment, expressing that it was “deeply concerned” over the ruling.
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During its campaign, the MFP advocated for less severe punishments for lese majeste cases—where people are tried for criticising the country’s monarchy—and for a more thorough process for filing charges. Conviction under this law carries a mandatory prison sentence.
The party won 151 out of 500 seats in the parliament’s lower house. Still, it could not form a government because it did not receive enough votes in the Senate, which was appointed by military leaders from a 2006 coup to counter democratic reforms.
In January, a court found the MFP’s campaign promise to change the law unconstitutional. The reasoning was that such a change would undermine the governance system that places the king as head of state.
MFP Leader Banned From Politics
Pita Limjaroenrat, the party’s former leader, is among the 11 who have been barred from running for political office for 10 years. The remaining 143 MPs have said they will form a new party.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, Mathew Miller, said in a statement that the ruling “disenfranchises” the more than 14 million citizens who voted for the MFP and raises questions about “their representation within Thailand’s electoral system.”
He further said it could also jeopardise “Thailand’s democratic progress” and “runs counter to the aspirations of the Thai people for a strong, democratic future.”
“The United States does not take a position in support of any political party, but as a close ally and friend with deep and enduring ties, we urge Thailand to take actions to ensure fully inclusive political participation and to protect democracy and the freedoms of association and expression,” Miller said.
The Move Forward Party is the second to be banned from participating in Thai politics in recent years after the Constitutional Court also dissolved the MFP’s predecessor, the Future Forward Party, in 2020 over allegations it accepted an illegal loan from its leader.
Thousands of mostly young people took to the streets after Future Forward was dissolved, demanding amendments to the constitution, a new election, and an end to the harassment of rights activists and state critics. So far, there have been no reports of widespread protests.
