Democrats' dissolution sought over charter change

In his petition, Ruangkrai said 11 Democrats were involved in vetting the charter-change bill.

As the high court had agreed to launch its review into the constitutionality of rewriting the charter, it should also look into the involvement of the Democrats, he said. If the Democrats were found to have committed an offence against the charter, then the main opposition party should be penalised by dissolution.

"If my petition is seen as a political game, then I concede to having politicised the issue, but I want fairness," he said, referring to the court battle to punish the coalition for sponsoring a charter rewrite without factoring in the Democrats.

Meanwhile, the Ombudsman’s Office will rule after Songkran on whether to take up a petition filed against 76 Senators and Democrat Party MPs for allegedly violating Royal power, spokesman Raksakecha Chaechai said yesterday.

Legislators led by Democrat Party Songkhla MP Wirat Kallayasiri have petitioned House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont, seeking a Constitutional Court ruling on whether the Public Private Partnership Act 2013, which has been royally endorsed but not yet effective, violates the Constitution.

Ruangkrai Leekitwattana wants the Ombudsman to decide if the 76 legislators’ action is deemed to be in violation of Royal power.

Raksakecha said the office has received the petition and would rule on whether to hear it after the Songkran break. Consideration on whether to accept the complaint would be based on whether the accused were viewed as having committed unethical conduct.