31 May 2007

Thai Rak Thai disbanded, Democrats survive poll fraud charges

A military-appointed court disbanded the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party and banned its 111 executives from politics for five years for election fraud. Evidence showed that TRT had hired smaller parties to field candidates to run in the April 2, 2006 election so that it could avoid the requirement of having to win at least 20% of eligible votes, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled.

The nine-judge tribunal simultaneously acquitted the Democrat Party of electoral fraud charges, including attempting to topple the government by urging pollsters to ‘vote no vote’, and obstructing elections in the southern province of Songkhla.

Sombat Chantornwong, a political analyst at Thammasat University, warned that the TRT ban did not mean they would lose power or influence.

31 May 2007

Thai Rak Thai disbanded, Democrats survive poll fraud charges

A military-appointed court disbanded the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party and banned its 111 executives from politics for five years for election fraud. Evidence showed that TRT had hired smaller parties to field candidates to run in the April 2, 2006 election so that it could avoid the requirement of having to win at least 20% of eligible votes, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled.

The nine-judge tribunal simultaneously acquitted the Democrat Party of electoral fraud charges, including attempting to topple the government by urging pollsters to ‘vote no vote’, and obstructing elections in the southern province of Songkhla.

Sombat Chantornwong, a political analyst at Thammasat University, warned that the TRT ban did not mean they would lose power or influence.