Thailand’s Popular Politician Banned from Politics for 10 Years
In a major blow to democracy in Thailand, the Constitutional Court has banned the country’s most popular politician, Pita Limjaroenrat, from politics for 10 years and dissolved his party, the Move Forward Party (MFP). The ruling comes after Pita’s party pledged to reform Thailand’s strict royal defamation law, which has been used to silence political dissent.
Pita, 43, led the MFP to a shock first place in a general election last year, striking a chord with young and urban voters. However, his bid to become prime minister was blocked by conservative forces in the Senate, and a coalition of army-linked parties took office instead.
The European Union and rights groups have blasted the court’s decision, saying it harms democratic openness in Thailand. "No democratic system can function without a plurality of parties and candidates," an EU spokesperson said in a statement. Amnesty International described the decision as "untenable" and said it showed that laws in Thailand were being used to intimidate critics.
Pita’s political career was already shaken in March when Thailand’s election commission asked the top court to dissolve the MFP. The party’s pledge to reform the lese-majeste law was deemed an attempt to overthrow the constitutional monarchy. Lese-majeste charges are extremely serious in Thailand, where King Maha Vajiralongkorn enjoys a quasi-divine status that places him above politics.
Dozens of supporters dressed in the party’s trademark orange gathered in front of MFP headquarters in Bangkok, expressing their disappointment and frustration. Siriporn Tanapitiporn, a 53-year-old food market vendor, cried after the verdict was read out, saying, "But I have faith in the younger generation, they will return the democracy back to our country."
Pita himself appeared in parliament in high spirits earlier on Wednesday, telling lawmakers he had faith in the kingdom’s legal process. He warned against the weaponisation of Thailand’s judicial system, saying that 33 parties had been dissolved over the past two decades, including "four major ones that were popularly elected."
The MFP has 148 seats in Thailand’s 500-seat parliament and Pita said its executive would form a new vehicle if the party was dissolved. The party later said it would be relaunched on Friday.
Pita first appeared on the political scene in 2018 as part of the progressive Future Forward Party (FFP), which was dissolved in 2020, sparking mass youth-led demonstrations that shook Bangkok for months. Tens of thousands took to the streets at the height of the protests, making unprecedented public criticism of the royal family and demanding transparency and reform.
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the lese-majeste law has been routinely used to silence political dissent. Thai authorities prosecuted at least 258 people last year on lese-majeste charges in relation to activities undertaken at democracy protests or comments made on social media, HRW said in its 2024 World Report.
Thailand, Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, is known for its chronic instability, with a dozen coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932.
