Thai court accepts Thai Raksa Chart Party dissolution case

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Thailand's Constitutional Court on Thursday accepted Election Commission (EC)'s petition to dissolve Thai Raksa Chart Party which had previously named Princess Ubolratana Mahidol as the candidate for prime minister to run for the March 24 election.

The court instructed the party to submit statements in defense of itself within seven days after the date of being informed of the case. Judges of the Constitutional Court are scheduled to convene on the case on February 27.

The EC on Wednesday forwarded petition to dissolve the party, accusing its nomination as against constitution and constitutional monarchy.

Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution submits a petition to the election commission to investigate the Thai Raksa Chart party for nominating Princess Ubolratana as its candidate for prime minister in Bangkok, February 11, 2019. /VCG Photo

Front-line members of Thai Raksa Chart Party have decided to call off their part in electoral campaigns in the face of a dissolution bid against the brand-new party.

At Thursday's press conference at Thai Raksa Chart Party's headquarters, Chaturon Chaisang, head of the party's electoral strategy committee, announced that those prominent party members, mostly former MPs and cabinet ministers seeking re-election in party-list mode, had decided to put their nationwide campaign trail on hold for the time being.

They are instead focusing on the dissolution bid against the party, according to Chaturon. The former deputy prime minister added that his party colleagues would refrain from making comments about such "highly delicate" matter, pending the Constitutional Court's ruling.

If judged guilty by the Constitutional Court, the party might not only be dissolved but all its executive board members might be banned from politics.

A campaign poster for the Thai Raksa Chart party stands by a road in Bangkok, Thailand, February 12, 2019. /VCG Photo

Nattawut Saikua, head of the party's electoral campaign, said the party's electoral candidates running in individual constituency mode may continue to woo votes on their own without the help of those veteran politicians, including himself.

Thai Raksa Chart Party nominated Princess Ubolratana as the candidate for prime minister on February 8, followed by a royal announcement later that day saying involving the princess in politics was "inappropriate" and against the constitution and constitutional monarchy.

(Top image: Signage is displayed at the office of the Election Commission in Bangkok, Thailand, February 8, 2019. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency