WASHINGTON: The United States is closely watching post-election developments in Thailand, saying recent legal cases are “of concern”, according to a State Department spokesman.
Matthew Miller was referring to two complaints filed with the Constitutional Court against Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat.
The court is expected to decide on Wednesday whether to accept one of the cases, related to Mr Pita’s holding of shares in a media company. That is the same day that Mr Pita will make his second attempt to win a prime ministerial vote in Parliament.
The initial vote last week for Mr Pita — who wants to remove the military from politics and dismantle business monopolies, among other changes — was thwarted by a Senate appointed by the military following the 2014 coup.
US officials have said little about post-election developments in Thailand to date.
Mr Miller, asked at a regular press briefing on Monday about the situation in Thailand, said Washington does not have a preferred outcome, but supports a process that reflects the will of the Thai people.
“We are very closely watching the post-election developments — that includes the recent developments in the legal system, which are of concern,” he said.
In addition to the media shares case, the Constitutional Court has accepted a complaint about the Move Forward Party’s plan to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the royal defamation law. The cases have raised concerns the court could disqualify Pita from office or dissolve Move Forward, as it did in 2020 with the party’s predecessor Future Forward.
Asked to comment on those possibilities, Mr Miller said he would not “speculate about how we might react to events that have not yet occurred” but repeated that recent developments were of concern.