EC asks court to dissolve Move Forward
published : 19 Mar 2024 at 09:00
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Aekarach Sattaburuth
The Election Commission (EC) on Monday submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court asking it to dissolve the main opposition Move Forward Party (MFP).
A source said it remains to be seen whether it will accept the petition for consideration at its meeting on Wednesday.
On March 12, the EC resolved unanimously to ask the Constitutional Court to disband the MFP after the court on Jan 31 ruled that the MFP's ongoing efforts to change Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law, showed an intention to undermine the constitutional monarchy.
The EC argues the MFP violated Section 92 of the organic law on political parties.
The section gives the court the power to dissolve any party that is seen to threaten the constitutional monarchy.
The court also ordered the MFP to end all attempts to rewrite Section 112.
Forty-four of the party's MPs, including its chief adviser Mr Pita Limjaroenrat, could face a political ban for life as they are now the subject of a probe into whether they followed the code of ethics over their stance on the lese majeste law.
Lawyer Theerayut Suwankesorn last month filed a petition with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) asking it to investigate claims of a serious ethical violation by the 44 lawmakers who submitted a bill to amend Section 112 on March 25, 2021.
Mr Theerayut said political officeholders are required by law to meet certain ethical standards, including safeguarding the royal institution.
If they are found guilty, they will be banned from applying to run in elections for MPs, senators and local organisation members.
They will also be banned from holding any political office for life.
Rangsiman Rome, an MFP list MP, said on Monday that independent agencies worked very fast against the MFP.
"I wonder whether they will also work just as fast in the case involving Senator Upakit Pachariyangkun," he said.
The senator was accused of having ties with Myanmar national Tun Min Latt, who was arrested for drug trafficking and money laundering on Sept 17, 2022. Sen Upakit denied all of the charges.
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Vocabulary
- attempt (noun): when a person tries to do something or achieve some goal, makes an effort to do it - ความพยายาม
- ban: officially not allowed to do something - การห้ามอย่างเป็นทางการ
- code of ethics: the rules of morally proper behaviour - ประมวลจริยธรรม, ระเบียบวินัย
- constitutional monarchy: a monarchy in which the ruler’s powers are defined and limited by a constitution - ระบบการปกครองที่มีพระมหากษัตริย์เป็นประมุข
- disband: to stop somebody/something from operating as a group; to separate or no longer operate as a group - เลิก,ทำให้สลาย
- dissolve (verb): to officially end a group, a marriage, business agreement, etc. - ยุติ,สิ้นสุด, ยุบ
- Election Commission (EC) (noun): the independent government agency that oversees elections - คณะกรรมการเลือกตั้ง
- ethical: involving the principles used for deciding what is right and what is wrong - ตามหลักจรรยา
- institution: an important tradition or system upon which society is based - สถาบัน
- lese majeste: the crime of offending, threatening or showing disrespect for a member of the royal family - หมิ่นพระบรมเดชานุภาพ
- money laundering: hiding the origin of money obtained from illegal activities by putting it into legal businesses - การฟอกเงิน
- petition: a document signed by a large number of people demanding or requesting some action from the government or another authority - การถวายฎีกา,การร้องเรียน
- petition: a request of someone in authority to do something - คำร้อง
- probe: an attempt to find out the truth about an issue, problem or accident, made by an official group (or by the media); an investigation - การตรวจสอบ การสอบสวน
- remains to be seen: don't know what will happen yet -
- safeguard: something which protects something/somebody from loss, harm or damage; something which keeps something/somebody safe - สิ่งป้องกัน, สิ่งคุ้มกัน
- senator: a member of the Senate - วุฒิสมาชิก
- stance: an attitude or view about an issue that you state clearly; position - จุดยืน
- threaten: to put at risk; to put in danger - ทำให้ตกอยู่ในความเสี่ยง
- trafficking: dealing in illegal goods, like drugs, weapons or in illegally moving humans or animals from one place to another - การค้าสิ่งที่ผิดกฎหมาย
- unanimously (adj.): when everyone agrees to something; harmoniously, unitedly, collectively, unanimously - อย่างเป็นเอกฉันท์, อย่างไม่มีข้อโต้แย้ง] อย่างเต็มใจ, อย่างยินยอมพร้อมใจ
- undermine: to make someone become gradually less effective, confident, or successful - บ่อนทำลาย
- violate: to do something that is against a law, rule or agreement - ฝ่าฝืน, ละเมิด
- violation: an action that is goes against a law, agreement, principle, etc. - การกระทำผิดกฎหมาย