Pita Limjaroenrat, a candidate for prime minister, has been accused of having shares in a media company, which could disqualify him from being the country’s next leader. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has responded to the allegations. The DPM stated that the complexity of these claims would determine whether by-elections were even a possibility.
If Mr. Pita were to be disqualified from both his MP post and his Prime Ministerial campaign, the issue has raised questions about whether by-elections would be necessary.
Many anticipate that the Election Commission (EC) will take these charges further and refer them to the Constitutional Court for a decision in order to investigate Mr. Pita’s ownership of shares in the company that operated the now-defunct TV channel iTV. The Move Forward Party (MFP) is led by Mr. Pita.
If the petitions cite Mr. Pita’s endorsement of party members and MP candidates, leading to by-elections, Wissanu has further explained that MPs-elect from MFP could also be disqualified.He claimed that even if the claims were limited to asking for a determination of Mr. Pita’s eligibility as a member of parliament.
Mr. Pita could still succeed to the position of prime minister because the law does not mandate that prime ministers be chosen from among members of parliament.MFP has prepared responses for a number of scenarios, according to Mr. Pita, who also noted that there is still time to provide these clarifications.
