Thai Rulers Move to Disband Thaksin-Linked Party as Vote Nears
- Former tycoon-turned-premier still influential in Thailand
- Pro-democracy parties regularly disbanded since 2006 coup
Thaksin Shinawatra
Photographer: Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images
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Members of Thailand’s military-backed ruling party asked the Election Commission to start a probe that could disband the main competition ahead of a vote expected in early 2022.
Two people including a member of Palang Pracharath, which backs Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, said the opposition Pheu Thai party linked to former leader Thaksin Shinawatra broke rules after he recently appeared on a video call with its members. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup, and has lived in self-exile for more than a decade following a corruption conviction he says was politically motivated.