Court Ousts Government

Today the Thai Constitutional Court ruled that the PPP and Chart Thai parties must be dissolved due to election fraud committed by an executive member of the party. The 2007 Thai constitution states that if a party executive is found guilty of election fraud, that not only is that member banned from politics for a period, but the party is dissolved.

The verdict should not surprise anyone watching Thai politics. After the case first emerged a few days after the December election, many believed that the decision was a foregone conclusion. The Thai Constitutional Court was created and the majority of its members appointed by the political enemies of the current government. A more cynical person than I might say that the justices were not objective. I would never make such a claim, particularly since speaking out against the court's verdict can land one in hot water.

So the court did what the demonstrator's did not. They brought down the current government. Actually, the protesters did prevent the government from amending the constitution to prevent the dissolution of the PPP. Of course, occupying the international airport had absolutely nothing to do with stopping the government from amending the constitution. It kept the PM from landing in Bangkok, but not from landing in Chiang Mia. Chiang Mia is the PPP stronghold, and the PAD protesters would have no success occupying its small airport.

Now that the government has been deposed, the PAD (protesters) won, right? Well, if by win you mean wrecking your economy, making Thailand look like a third rate nation, and ending up with a government controlled largely by the same people who are running the government right now, then yes, they were very successful.

The dissolution of the government does not require new elections. Although two parties are dissolved, only those who committed fraud lose their MP seats. The Peau Thai party has already been created for members of the PPP and Chart Thai (possibly) to join. Incidentally, the leader of the new party is Thaksin's cousin. The other government coalition members have already said that they will join them in forming a government. So there will be a new PM and cabinet, but it will not be made up of the PAD's allies.