Thailand’s Constitutional Court has banned the country’s most popular party, Move Forward, for allegedly attempting to overthrow the constitutional monarchy by proposing changes to the law against defaming the royal family.

The court also banned the party’s senior leaders from politics for 10 years.

The Move Forward Party, which succeeded the dissolved Future Forward Party, gained significant support in the May 2023 general election, promising reforms such as demilitarization, demonopolization, and decentralization.

It won 14 million votes and nearly all seats in Bangkok, but its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, was blocked from becoming prime minister by conservative forces.

The U.S. State Department expressed concern that the court’s decision threatens Thailand’s democratic progress, NPR has reported.

Critics argue that the lèse-majesté law, which was the basis for the party’s dissolution, is used to suppress opposition to the royalist establishment.

Written by B.C. Begley