Thai court dissolves ruling party and bans premier

Thailand’s Constitutional Court dissolved the main party in the ruling coalition and banned the prime minister and 36 party executives from politics for five years.

The court today found the People’s Power Party and its executive members - including Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat – guilty of electoral fraud.

Today’s ruling raises hopes that anti-government protesters, who have been trying to oust the government, will end their siege of the country’s two main airports.

Constitutional Court president Chat Chalavorn said the “court has decided to dissolve the party to set a political standard and an example”.

He said “dishonest political parties undermine Thailand’s democratic system”.

Two other parties in the governing coalition were banned by the court.

Mr Somchai’s People’s Power Party, the Machima Thipatai party and the Chart Thai party were all found guilty of electoral fraud.

The Thai government postponed the Asean regional summit until March because of the ongoing political turmoil.

Government spokesman Nattawut Sai-Kua says the Cabinet agreed today the meeting of leaders from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations could not go ahead as planned on December 12-17.

The government’s announcement came shortly after a court dissolved the three biggest parties in the ruling coalition and banned Mr Somchai.