A Thai court last night disbanded the political party of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra over election law violations.

The Constitutional Tribunal earlier found the Thai Rak Thai party guilty of financing obscure parties to run against it in last year's elections to get around rules requiring a minimum voter turnout.

"The defendant is responsible for holding up democratic ways. It used parliamentary elections only as a means to achieve totalitarian power," Judge Vichai Chuenchompoonuj said.

"It goes to show that the defendant does not believe in the democratic system. It also shows no respect for the rule of law."

The verdict came hours after the court acquitted the Democrat Party of any wrongdoing in last year's inconclusive election.

"The tribunal throws out the request to disband" the Democrat Party, Judge Nurak Mapraneet said after the Constitutional Tribunal spent four hours summing up the case before announcing the verdict on national television.

Democrat supporters exploded into cheers after their party was acquitted of four charges of election breaches in the election called by Thaksin to defuse street protests against him.

"The cases to disband the parties have undermined investor confidence for so long. From now on, we must move toward the elections and real democracy," party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said.

(China Daily via agencies May 31, 2007)