A petition has been filed with the Election Commission (EC) seeking to disband the main opposition Pheu Thai Party based on an allegation that it has broken election rules.
Sonthiya Sawasdee, a former adviser to the House committee on law, justice and human rights, submitted the petition to the EC on Tuesday, claiming the party has violated the law by allowing a figure banned from politics to work as its canvasser, and letting non-members dominate party affairs.
Mr Sonthiya named Pheu Thai Family director Nattawut Saikuar as the person with the political ban, and party leader Cholnan Srikaew as the individual who allegedly allowed for the undue dominance of the party by outsiders.
Mr Nattawut is serving a political ban imposed since the dissolution of the Thai Raksa Chart (TRC) Party, as ordered by the Constitutional Court. Mr Nattawut served as a list MP for the party in the 2019 general election.
The court dissolved the TRC for nominating Princess Ubolratana, the elder sister of His Majesty the King, as its prime ministerial candidate.
According to Mr Sonthiya, Mr Nattawut is now legally mandated to refrain from engaging in politics. However, he has accepted an active political role in directing the Pheu Thai Family and participating in its electioneering.
In his complaint to the EC, Mr Sonthiya added Mr Nattawut spoke disparagingly about opponents while on the Pheu Thai campaign trail. Mr Sonthiya said Mr Nattawut mocked Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's health after he was treated recently for a swollen hand.
"What business does Mr Nattawut have campaigning for a party when he is still serving a political ban?" he asked, adding Mr Nattawut's behaviour was a clear violation of the charter.
As for Dr Cholnan, Mr Sonthiya said the Pheu Thai leader told a recent gathering of party supporters that a former cabinet minister and key figures of some provincial administrative organisations (PAOs) were working with the party to achieve a landslide victory in the next poll.
The former minister and the key figures are not members of Pheu Thai. To suggest non-members were working toward the party's goal was to exert influence over the party, which is against the law, he said.
