The Election Commission (EC) resolved Friday that Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya parties be dissolved because their executives were involved in election fraud during the Dec 20, 2007, polls.
The two parties are key partners in a coalition government led by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's People Power Party (PPP).
Election commissioners voted 4:1 that executives of the two parties knew about or conspired in vote-buying schemes in the general election last year.
Somchai Juengprasert is the sole commissioner who voted against ordering the dissolution of the two parties.
EC will forward the cases to the attorney-general's office, which will then recommend the cases to the Constitution Court.
The Constitution Court will give the actual rulings after hearing the cases.
Prosecutors now have 30 days to decide whether to uphold the commission's findings. If they agree, the case would then go to the Constitution Court, which would consider whether to accept the charges.
If prosecutors refuse to take the case, the Election Commission could use legal manoeuvres to bring the parties to court itself.
But even if the coalition lost the 45 seats the parties hold, the remaining partners would still hold a comfortable majority, with 271 of the 480 seats in parliament.
However, Mr Samak has launched a drive to amend the constitution and strip the courts of the power to disband political parties. He argues that the threat of party dissolution destabilises the government. (BangkokPost.com)
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The two parties are key partners in a coalition government led by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's People Power Party (PPP).
Election commissioners voted 4:1 that executives of the two parties knew about or conspired in vote-buying schemes in the general election last year.
Somchai Juengprasert is the sole commissioner who voted against ordering the dissolution of the two parties.
EC will forward the cases to the attorney-general's office, which will then recommend the cases to the Constitution Court.
The Constitution Court will give the actual rulings after hearing the cases.
Prosecutors now have 30 days to decide whether to uphold the commission's findings. If they agree, the case would then go to the Constitution Court, which would consider whether to accept the charges.
If prosecutors refuse to take the case, the Election Commission could use legal manoeuvres to bring the parties to court itself.
But even if the coalition lost the 45 seats the parties hold, the remaining partners would still hold a comfortable majority, with 271 of the 480 seats in parliament.
However, Mr Samak has launched a drive to amend the constitution and strip the courts of the power to disband political parties. He argues that the threat of party dissolution destabilises the government. (BangkokPost.com)
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