Thailand’s top court to rule on banning pro-red shirt Thai Raksa Chart party ahead of election

Thailand’s Constitutional Court will rule on whether to dissolve the Thai Raksa Chart party (TRC) today ahead of long-delayed elections on March 24.

The case, which began last week, stems from the party’s nomination of Princess Ubol Ratana as a prime ministerial candidate.

The proposed dissolution of the TRC has been widely condemned as directed by the ruling military junta to cripple the opposition coalition aligned with ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra. The TRC and its larger pro-Thaksin allies, like Pheu Thai, had agreed to not run candidates in the same districts in a bid to avoid splitting their coalition.

With the TRC’s fate now in the hands of judges, Future Forward—another anti-junta party—has emerged as a popular alternative. While TRC has not officially backed the new party, it is likely that the pro-Thaksin red shirts would support Future Forward should the TRC be banned.

The court is expected to rule against the TRC and disqualify all its candidates, sending shutters throughout Thailand’s political and economic arenas. It is unclear if Future Forward garner enough momentum to mount a viable opposition to the junta. Significant political turmoil up to, during and after the election—including large-scale protests—remains likely.

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