Thai Court Dissolves Winning Election Party

The Thai judiciary has dissolved the reformist party that won last year's elections and was unable to form a government. The ruling also barred former Move Forward movement leader Pita Limjaroenrat and 10 other prominent figures from participating in politics for 10 years. The Constitutional Court's ruling was anticipated after it declared in January that the "Move Forward" campaign's promise to amend the royal defamation laws was unconstitutional, indicating that changes to the harsh lèse-majesté law equated to advocating for the destruction of constitutional monarchy. Today's ruling serves as a stark reminder of how willing unelected institutions are to go in order to preserve the power and status of the monarchy. However, the ruling does not signify the end of the reform movement in Thai politics. Remaining parliament members, totaling 142, are expected to shift to another registered party and continue their role as the main opposition in parliament.