The criticism group is trying its hardest to win in court, but it is unlikely to do so.
According to deputy party leader Pol Maj Gen Supisarn Bhakdinarinath, The Move Forward Party ( MPP ) may not survive, but it will make every effort to fight its dissolution case in court.
On April 3, the judge granted the MFP 15 days to report its defense in response to an EC plea for the MFP’s breakdown under Section 92 of the Political Parties Act.
The judge made a decision to extend the deadline by another 15 days to May 3 on April 18; this was done on April 3. However, on April 24, the opposition party asked the court to grant it an additional 15 weeks.
If the EC has obtained sufficient data of an act that the court feels is inconvenient to the political regime and that the King is the head of state, the EC is empowered to ask the court for its dissolution under the Political Parties Act.
The MFP was found to have pushed for modifications to Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the der guess law, in response to a Constitutional Court decision on January 31 that indicated an intent to destroy the constitutional king.
The EC acted against the MFP because the Jan. 31 decision provided grounds for breakdown. The MFP was also told to stop all attempts to modify Part 112 by the court in its ruling on January 31 and to keep amending the section in a non-legislative manner.
Pol Maj Gen Supisarn Bhakdinarinath
Campaigning on the issue is viewed as an attempt to end the democratic king and is in violation of the constitution, according to the statement.
The courts pointed to past behavior of Pita Limjaroenrat, the group’s former president, as well as those conducted by the MFP in common, including its applications to give loan for suspects in der guess cases.
When its 44 MPs submitted a bill to amend Section 112, the court claimed Mr. Pita and the organization attempted to either change or repeal it on March 25, 2021.
The Jan. 31 decision, according to Pol Maj Gen Supisarn, was intended to deter any attempts to put an end to the constitutional monarchy, according to the Bangkok Post. ” Such action has not actually happened yet”, he said.
” The party was not involved in any attempt to overthrow]the constitutional monarchy]. When submitting the bill to amend Section 112, he said, we only performed our job as MPs and adhered to legislative guidelines.
” We have complied with the court’s order]for the party to cease all attempts to amend Section 112]”, he said.
” But if the judges use the same logic]as in the Jan 31 ruling], they may decide to disband the party”, Pol Maj Gen Supisarn said.
” The party is prepared. Let’s wait and see people’s reaction. The more the party is suppressed, the more it will grow”, he said.
” The number of party MPs may increase from 150 currently to 250 in the next election”, he said.
Only a few party members were likely to shift their allegiances and defect to other parties, he said, even if the party was disbanded. ” Many of our MPs are steadfast in the party’s ideology”.
The law mandates that a party’s MPs must join new parties within 60 days in order for them to lose their MP status if a party is disbanded.
The judges who will rule on the dissolution case are those who delivered the ruling on January 21, according to Pattana Reonchaidee, a lecturer at Ramkhamhaeng University’s faculty of law.
In light of this, they will not take long to consider the case because, according to him, the decision in the dissolution case is anticipated to be based on the previous decision.
” I firmly believed the decision will be made sooner than later, and it might not benefit the MFP,” Mr. Pattana said.
He said if the court decides to dissolve the party, it must provide a compelling justification for its decision. It’s a significant issue to dissolve a party that won the most House seats. The case will draw the attention of many people”, Mr Pattana said.
The MFP won the most votes, 14.4 million in total, in the May 14 election, winning 151 seats in the House.
Some people may feel unfair treatment and have sympathy for the party if it is disbanded. The MFP may get more votes in the next election”, he said.
Pattana Reonchaidee