Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled Wednesday that the country’s most popular political party violated the constitution with its pledge to amend the nation’s strict lese majeste laws.
The progressive Move Forward Party won a surprising parliamentary majority in last year’s elections, in large part on a promise to change the law that makes insulting the monarchy a crime. But the court said the pledge amounted to an attempt by Move Forward to overthrow the monarchy, and ordered the party to end all efforts to either amend or abolish the law. Observers say the ruling is expected to trigger a wider legal effort by the party's opponents to seek its dissolution.
Thailand has some of the world's harshest lese majeste laws, with a conviction carrying a sentence of up to 15 years in prison for each perceived insult. The law has been the focal point of Thailand’s youth-led pro-democracy movement since 2020, which has called for its abolishment.
Move Forward’s success in last year’s elections created a backlash among Thailand’s military-backed conservatives in the Senate, who blocked the party’s leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, from assuming the prime minister’s post. Pita was suspended from parliament last July after the Election Commission alleged he broke election rules by holding shares in a media company while running for office.
A Thai court on Wednesday said Pita did not break election rules by holding shares in the defunct iTV company.
Some information for this report came from Reuters, Agence France-Presse and The Associated Press.
