Thailand: Court dissolves opposition Future Forward Party over loan

Thailand's Constitutional Court reportedly dissolved the popular opposition Future Forward Party on February 21 as the party violated the election law by accepting a loan from its leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. According to international media reports, the court also banned 16 of its leaders from politics for ten years. 

The court accused the party of taking USD 6.08 million loans during the campaign last year from its billionaire founder. The party has also emerged as a major adversary to the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, who is a former military leader and who overthrew an elected government in a 2014 coup.

Furthermore, the ruling came just ahead of a no-confidence debate in that Parliament which is set to begin on Monday against Prayuth and several of his Cabinet members. 

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The Future Forward Party was founded in March 2018 as Thailand was heading toward an election after a period of military rule that began with a 2014 coup. According to international media reports, FFP is a strong and surprising third party as it currently holds 76 seats in Thailand's House of Representatives. However, the party has also been an irritant to the government and the conservative forces in Thai society that back it, because of both its reformist positions and its popularity. 

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'Law makes no mention of loans'

The Election Commission in December reportedly determined that the FFP had broken the law by accepting the loan from its founder and later it was referred to the Constitutional Court. Earlier, the commission had said that it considered the loan tantamount to a donation which is limited to USD 316,000. In its defence, the party reportedly said that the law makes no mention of loans. 

Currently, there are 16 members of the party's executive committee and 11 of them are members of the Parliament who lost their seats. The remaining 65 lawmakers can, however, take part in the upcoming no-confidence debate. But they also must find a new party within 30 days to keep their seats.

It is further believed that the ruling is a set back for the Opposition parties but it also may be a political disaster for the military-backed regime as the political uncertainty could potentially destabilise a regime which is reportedly already struggling with several crises and a moribund economy. 

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(With Agency Inputs)