Thai election body asks top court to suspend premier hopeful as MP a day before voting

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Thailand's election authority asked the country’s top court on Wednesday to suspend Pita Limjaroenrat, the frontrunner for prime minister, as a member of parliament over allegations of having shares in a media outlet during electioneering for the May polls in violation of campaign rules, local media reported.

Just one day before the election for prime minister, the Election Commission of Thailand petitioned the Constitutional Court to suspend Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita's National Assembly membership for having shares in ITV, which was a violation of the country's election code during the campaign for the May 14 polls.

“The Election Commission has decided to seek Constitutional Court's ruling on Pita's ITV shareholding on whether he lacks the qualifications to be an MP and should be suspended immediately pending the ruling,” Khaosod News reported.

Pita won a seat in the National Assembly in the general election on May 14 and is a favorite to be elected prime minister on Thursday.

The Move Forward Party swept to a surprise first-place finish in the general election, capturing 151 seats in the 500-member in the National Assembly. Move Forward has assembled an eight-party, 312-seat coalition it had planned to take power. But the unlikely approval from members in the conservative 250-seat unelected Senate, which participates in the vote for prime minister, makes Pita’s path to power a difficult one, according to the daily.

His party called the election authority’s move to approach the top court “unfair.”

Meanwhile, the court has given Pita and his party 15 days to respond, the daily said in a tweet, adding that the party may be disbanded and its leader may be barred from politics if proven guilty.