Thailand: Move Forward Party Hit With Dissolution Petition

Facts

Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a political activist, on Thursday, filed a petition with Thailand's Election Commission seeking to dissolve the Move Forward Party over its plan to amend the lèse majesté law (e.g. insulting a sovereign or head of state).¹
The petition comes a day after the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled that the country's main opposition party's election bid to amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code constitutes an attempt to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and violates Article 49 of the Constitution.²
Move Forward had pledged to reduce the length of lèse majesté prison sentences — which currently can be up to 15 years for each offense — and limit who can bring forward a case on behalf of the king.³
Wednesday's ruling could serve as grounds for the disbandment of the progressive-leaning party, which had won a majority of votes in the 2023 elections, and see its leaders banned from politics for years.⁴
Last week, party leader Pita Limjaroenrat — whose nomination for the premiership was blocked by the military-appointed Senate — survived allegations that he had violated election rules by owning shares in a media firm and had his six-month parliament suspension lifted.⁵
In 2020, Move Forward's predecessor Future Forward was dissolved after its leader was found guilty of breaching finance laws, and its entire executive board was banned from politics for a decade.⁶

Narrative A, as provided by Khaosod English. While Move Forward may be well prepared for its dissolution and the subsequent reboot under a new name and leadership, its millions of young voters may get disillusioned with the political system amid indications that there's no hope for change. Royalist institutions in Thailand are in a permanent state of paranoia.
Narrative B, as provided by Thai Enquirer. As Thailand still navigates between the traditional notion that the monarchy is a sacrosanct national institution and the modern belief that the people's will is sovereign, Wednesday's ruling against Move Forward reinforces the monarchy despite popular demands for changes. Since no decision will ever take this sentiment away, this move will backfire and mobilize support for the reformist party or its incarnation.
Narrative C, as provided by Bangkok Post. It's the Thai monarchy, not Move Forward or any other party, that suffers the most from controversies related to the royal defamation law, as these issues have constantly dragged the unifying national institution into political conflicts that it should transcend. If lawmakers can't improve the law to better serve the monarchy, they will inadvertently harm the country to the point of no return.