“The act is deemed hostile to the constitutional monarchy...”

On 7th March, as was widely predicted, the Constitutional Court voted to dissolve the Thai Raksa Chart party and ban its executives from political office for ten years. The party had caused a sensation on 8th February by nominating Princess Ubolratana as its candidate for prime minister in the election to be held on 24th March. The nomination was followed by another unprecedented bombshell later that day, when King Rama X issued a statement condemning his elder sister’s involvement in politics. On 13th February, the Election Commission ruled that the nomination was invalid, and recommended the party’s dissolution to the Constitutional Court.

In the court’s verdict, announced on live television, judge Taweekiat Meenakanit severely criticised Ubolratana’s nomination: “The act is deemed hostile to the constitutional monarchy.” He also described it as a “devious scheme”. Thai Raksa Chart is the third party affiliated with Thaksin Shinawatra to be disbanded by the Constitutional Court, after Thai Rak Thai in 2006 and the People Power Party in 2008.