Opposition Members Prepare for Potential Party Dissolution, Avoiding Defection to Established Parties
PUBLISHED : 1 Aug 2024 at 21:49
Members of the opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) are prepared to transition to the lesser-known Thinkakhao Chaovilai Party if the Constitutional Court rules for the dissolution of Move Forward next week. A source within the MFP confirmed this development.
The court is set to determine whether Move Forward should face dissolution for allegedly violating Section 92 of the organic law on political parties, following a complaint from the Election Commission earlier this year.
The Election Commission’s complaint references a court ruling from January, which asserted that the party’s efforts to amend the lese-majeste law indicated an intention to undermine the constitutional monarchy.
The commission has also requested the court to impose a 10-year ban on the party’s executives from political participation, including future elections or forming a new party.
According to the source, a preliminary agreement has been reached with the Thinkakhao Chaovilai Party, which may undergo a name change.
Registered with the Election Commission several years ago, the Thinkakhao Chaovilai Party has approximately 10,474 members, as per the latest figures.
Current leaders of the Thinkakhao Chaovilai Party include Tul Tintamora and deputy leader Alisa Sattayawirut, with executive positions filled recently on April 5 of this year. The party is headquartered in the Thawi Watthana district of Bangkok.
Despite fielding 13 candidates in the 2023 general election, the party did not secure any seats.
Sirikanya Tansakun, the deputy leader of Move Forward, is anticipated to take the helm of the MPs aligning with the Thinkakhao Chaovilai Party, with several current MPs likely to step into executive roles.
If the court decides to dissolve Move Forward, at least ten of its executives, including chief adviser and party leader, could face a political ban lasting a decade.
In 2020, when the Future Forward Party, the predecessor of Move Forward, was dissolved, several of its members defected to ideologically opposing parties. However, these members lost their seats in the subsequent election, a move politically analyzed as a voter backlash.
This time, Move Forward MPs are resolute in avoiding a similar fate, according to the source.
Although some MPs may be engaging with political rivals discreetly, there is a clear intent not to defect to parties within the ruling coalition.
