The Election Commission has sanctioned 50 political parties, including the newly-formed Thai Khemkhaeng, but there is no evidence to link it to the ruling Democrat Party, EC member Sodsri Satayatham said yesterday.
"I am not in a position to speculate whether the newly-formed party is meant as a back-up in case the Democrat Party is disbanded," she said.
Sodsri said registration for Thai Khemkhaeng was complete, pending announcement in the Royal Gazette.
The new party, registered on June 4, has its headquarters in Hat Yai district of Songkhla. Manas Panich is the party leader and Prathan Phrom-on is the party secretary-general. The party has yet to hold its first convention within one year to elect its executive board.
Manas conceded yesterday that he was close to the Democrats but the new party was formed out of his love for politics without any linkage to the party dissolution case.
"In the future, should their party be disbanded, I don't think it would be unusual if the Democrats want to move to my party," he said.
Manas said in case of party dissolution, the Democrats would have no choice but to adopt a new political home.
He said he wanted to build his new party based on his stronghold in Hat Yai where he runs a construction business.Manas, the registered leader of Thai Khemkhaeng, is a resident of Songkhla's Hat Yai district from an area that is the constituency of Democrat MP Wirat Kalayasiri, who is on the legal team to defend the Democrat Party in the dissolution case.
Possibly a political canvasser for Wirat, Manas registered the new political party out of a good intention just in case, without any knowledge of the key Democrat figures.
Thai Khemkhaeng's registered address in Songkhla has no name signs, and its executive members convened meetings a few times with no Democrat figures attending, according to a person taking care of the new party's building.
Another political party suspected to be a substitution for the Democrat Party in case it is dissolved is called "Dharmathipat" (Guardians of Dharma), which was registered with the Election Commission in January 2009 and its head office is located in Bangkok's Bueng Kum district.
Another new party Thai Pheu Thai has activated its registration process last week. And the EC already gave the green light to carry on the registration to completion even though the party's name is very similar to the opposition Pheu Thai Party.
Thai Pheu Thai has Sathit Rodchang as its leader and Thongchai Thatkheo as its secretary general.