All the 206 constituency and party-list candidates from the little known Thai Friend party have been disqualified from contesting the March 24^th election after the party was found by the Supreme Court’s Electoral Cases Division to have failed to fulfill mandatory requirements of the Political Parties Act.

According to the Court, the Thai Friend party did not set up legally required provincial branch offices or appoint provincial representatives, meaning they had no right to field candidates for the forthcoming election.

The party had nominated 154 constituency candidates and 52 party-list candidates – all of whom have now been disqualified, even though the Election Commission approved the party’s list of candidates.

The Thai Friend party’s case was brought to the attention of the Supreme Court by Mr. Umut Wangsasook, a party constituency candidate in the eastern province of Chachoengsao, who sued the election director of the province for not endorsing his candidacy. The court upheld the Chachoengsao election director’s decision on the grounds that Mr. Umut’s candidacy was not approved by his party leader

Meanwhile, EC secretary-general Jarungvidh Phumma said that investigations into the petition for the dissolution of the pro-junta Palang Pracharat party, for its nomination of General Prayut Chan-o-cha as its prime ministerial candidate, is ongoing.