BANGKOK - THAILAND'S Constitutional Court yesterday dissolved three top ruling parties for electoral fraud and banned the prime minister from politics for five years, leaving the government clinging to office by a slender thread.
The ruling came against a backdrop of intense pressure from the right wing, royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) which has been strangling Thailand's economy by staging months-long protests and seizing Bangkok's two airports last week.
The anti-government group said hours after the verdict that they would end all their rallies today.
'The People's Alliance for Democracy has agreed to cease protesting after a long-running 192-day campaign. We have won a victory and achieved our aims,' PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul told a news conference.
He said all protesters would start pulling out of Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports at 10am today.
On hearing the court's decision, thousands of PAD supporters at Suvarnabhumi International Airport cheered.
Airport officials said Suvarnabhumi reopened to cargo flights yesterday and will resume operations on Friday.
With the dissolution of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and two smaller coalition partners came a ban for five years on executives of the parties including Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.
The PPP now technically no longer exists, repeating the fate of its precursor the Thai Rak Thai, which deposed former premier Thaksin Shinawatra had converted into a political powerhouse.
Mr Chat Chonlaworn, head of the nine-judge panel, reading the verdict, said: 'As the court unanimously decided to dissolve the PPP, therefore the leader of the party and party executives must be banned from politics for five years.'
'Although some party executives had no knowledge of the election fraud, the law stipulates clearly... the party must scrutinise its executives, thus the party cannot deny responsibility.'
Deputy prime minister Chavarat Charnveerakul is acting prime minister and Parliament will choose a new PM next week.
Meanwhile a caretaker Cabinet will run the country. Out of 36 Cabinet members, 22 are not affected by the party dissolution and can continue in office.
In a statement, the PPP called the verdict a 'judicial coup' but Mr Somchai accepted the outcome, saying: 'It is not a problem. I was not working for myself. Now I will be a full-time citizen.'
A PPP source said Mr Thaksin, apparently in Cambodia, was 'angry and frustrated'.
PPP MPs who have not been banned will switch to Puea Thai, a shell party. The coalition partners are expected to stick together. There is a possibility of more conflict with the PAD if the next premier is seen again as a proxy for Mr Thaksin.
Mr Sondhi warned yesterday: 'The PAD is ready to take to streets if people from the Thaksin regime return or if there is any government that tries to amend the Constitution and curtail the power of the monarchy.'
There are also fears of a violent backlash by government supporters.
Emotional scenes were played out outside the courthouse yesterday when some 3,000 pro-government 'red shirts' turned up and hurled abuse at a squad of armed soldiers. Some even caught one soldier and threw him out of the compound.
Some 7,000 'red shirts' continued to rally at Bangkok's metropolitan administration last night, police said.
'The judgment was fixed,' said pro-government businesswoman Rojarek Phalaburee from Chiang Mai. 'We will continue to join the protest.'
