Yongyuth verdict upheld

The Election Commission's guilty verdict against Yongyuth Tiyaphairat has been reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. The Court's decision was announced a few minutes ago.

The Supreme Court is Thailand's highest legal authority, and its decision in this case has potentially explosive consequences for the government. Yongyuth has been found guilty of election fraud (specifically, vote-buying) and, because he was a PPP executive member at the time, the PPP faces dissolution and its executives face five-year bans on all political activity.

The PPP was formed as a result of the dissolution of its former incarnation, Thaksin's TRT last year. Now, the PPP itself faces the same fate, Prime Minister Samak may be banned from politics, and a general election may be necessary. Non-executive PPP members will presumably form another new party, though whether they will receive the continued support of their coalition partners remains to be seen.