JURIST - Paper Chase: Thailand Constitutional Court takes case on disbanding ruling party

[JURIST] The Constitutional Court of Thailand [official website, in Thai] on Tuesday agreed to consider [Bangkok Post report] dissolving the ruling People's Power Party (PPP) [party website, in Thai] and two others because of election fraud allegedly committed by one of the PPP's top officers. Former PPP deputy leader Yongyuth Tiyapairat was convicted of organizing a vote-buying scheme [Bangkok Post report] by the court in July, and under Thai law the PPP and associated parties could be banned for connection with the crime. The case was brought before the court [JURIST report] by the country's Office of the Attorney General (OAG) last week after a September recommendation [Bangkok Post report] by the country's Election Commission [official website, in Thai] to break up the party because of the alleged fraud. If disbanded, a number of high-ranking government officials, including prime minister Somchai Wongsawat [Nation backgrounder], would lose their positions and be barred from political office for five years. AFP has more. The Straits Times has additional coverage.

The issue comes before the court as the PPP party faces broad public criticism and protests [AFP report] opposing its rule. In late September, the Election Commission said it would begin an investigation [Bangkok post report; JURIST report] into allegations that Wongsawat illegally holds stocks in companies which operate under government contracts. Earlier that month, then-prime minister and PPP founder Samak Sundaravej [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] instituted a controversial state of emergency [JURIST report] to quell the demonstrations, but was later removed from office after receiving illegal compensation for an appearance on a television cooking show. The PPP has also been closely associated with ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive], now on trial in absentia for corruption. In May 2007 the Constitutional Court dissolved Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party [JURIST report].

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