The Thai Constitutional Court has ordered the dissolution of Thai Raksa Chart Party for naming Prince Ubolratana, a member of the Royal Family, as its prime ministerial candidate. The Court claims this action undermined Thailand’s constitutional monarchy.

The court has also banned all 14 members of the party’s executive board from politics for 10 years in a stunning decision that will profoundly reshape the March 24 election campaign.

The Court has determined that the 14 members will not be allowed to play any part in forming a new party during this period.

When the Thai army seized power in May 2014, it described it as a coup to end all coups.
The army had failed to do the job properly during the previous attempt, in 2006, one of the coup leaders told us in 2014. This time we will fix things so we never have to intervene again, he said.

The official script of the coup makers was that they intervened to end the crippling political turmoil which had shaken Thailand for most of the previous decade.

Less officially though, the junta had two objectives; to secure the first royal succession in 70 years, which, after the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2016, it did; and to cripple the political movement loyal to ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, which had won every election since 2001.

This movement is viewed as an existential threat to the alliance of palace, military and big business that has dominated Thailand for most of its modern history.

The election taking place this Sunday in Thailand has to be understood within the context of this last objective.

In an interview with BBC Thai, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra alleges there were "a lot of irregularities" in Sunday's election in Thailand which have left him worried.