UPDATE 1-Thai opposition leader asks supporters to mobilize in Bangkok on Saturday

Thai opposition party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit called on supporters to mobilize in Bangkok on Saturday, days after the country's election body called for the dissolution of his party. Thanathorn, 41, has emerged as the most prominent opponent of a government headed by former junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, 65 after his progressive Future Forward Party came to a surprise third in an election in March.

The opposition Pheu Thai Party, which was ousted in 2014, won the most seats in the 500-member House of Representatives while Palang Pracharat, the pro-military party formed last year by members of the junta's Cabinet, came second. Although Pheu Thai is the biggest opposition party, Future Forward has taken a higher profile in challenging the government.

In a Facebook video, Thanathorn, who is popular among social media-savvy young Thais, called on people who were "fed up with a society like this" to take to the street on Saturday. It is the first time he has made such a call. "This is the time for the people to make noise," Thanathorn said in the video.

"If you agree with me that now is the time for people to stand up to fight, demand legitimacy, justice, and equality, come out on Dec. 14." His tweet calling for mobilization was retweeted more than 20,000 times in over two hours.

Police at the Bangkok district to which Thanathorn has called his followers said they had not received a request for a gathering in line with a law on public meetings passed under the former junta. The government made no immediate comment. Without naming Thanathorn, Thailand's army has made plain its dislike of a new movement it accuses of plotting against the government and monarchy.

Thanathorn's call came days after Thailand's election panel asked the Constitutional Court to dissolve the Future Forward Party, accusing it of infringing laws governing political parties by accepting multimillion-dollar loans from its leader, Thanathorn. The election panel submitted the request formally on Friday.

Last week, Thanathorn accused the government of unfairly targeting him and the party with a string of legal tactics that undermined democracy in Thailand, which had been under military rule until the March election, following a 2014 coup. Last month, the Constitutional Court found Thanathorn guilty of holding shares in a media company on the date his candidacy was registered for the election, disqualifying him as a member of parliament. Thanathorn disputed the ruling.

It is not yet clear whether authorities will allow the gathering to take place. According to a public gathering law passed under the previous military government, an organizer must request permission from authorities 24 hours before a gathering is due to take place.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)