Former Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat said today that he is confident that the party will not share the same fate as its predecessor, the Future Forward party, four years ago, when it was disbanded by the Constitutional Court over a loan controversy.
He told the media at parliament that he does not feel at all stressed, had slept well for about eight hours last night and is ready to face the consequences of the verdict this afternoon.
The nine Constitutional Court judges are huddled in a closed-door meeting today, deciding whether or not to dissolve the party and to debar its executive committee members from contesting elections for 10 years, as sought by the Election Commission.
The decision will be determined by a vote among the judges, after which a ruling, called the “common ruling”, will be drafted, screened by all the judges and read at 3pm today. Separately, each judge will write his own ruling, which will not be released to the public.
No matter what the court rules, Pita said that the ideology and policies of the Move Forward party will live on and will be pursued by party members.
Supporters gathered at the party’s HQ this morning, to offer moral support. Some were heard shouting, “Move Forward will not be disbanded.”
From 1pm, former secretary-general of the now defunct Future Forward party, Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, will give a talk on “The Constitutional Court and the dissolution of political parties” at the party’s head office.
At about 6pm, Pita and Move Forward party leader Chaithawat Tulathon will hold a press conference to respond to the court’s ruling. About 300 reporters have registered to attend the event.
