Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP), has been under investigation by the Election Commission (EC) due to the alleged holding of 42,000 shares in a media company, which is prohibited for electoral candidates by the constitution. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam stated that if the Constitutional Court accepts the case, it might suspend Mr. Pita until a decision is reached.
According to Mr. Wissanu, the case may either close if the EC rules in Mr. Pita’s favor and endorses him as a list-MP or escalate to the Constitutional Court if they rule against him. The EC can investigate the complaint at any stage, before or after the election results are officially announced.
As a reference, the Deputy Prime Minister cites the case against Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the former leader of the now-dissolved Future Forward Party (FFP). Mr. Thanathorn faced similar accusations of violating the share-holding rule, and the court voted to suspend him as an MP in May 2019. He was nominated for Prime Minister in June, while the court’s ruling was announced in November of that year.
Regarding the intent of the share-holding rule, Mr. Wissanu stated that the matter would be decided by the Constitutional Court, with the constitution not specifying the size of shares or the media company involved. However, he did note that previous court rulings on similar share-holding violation claims against electoral candidates might be used as a basis for predicting the case’s outcome against Mr. Pita.
Political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, who requested the EC probe into Mr. Pita’s share-holding, submitted a statement to the EC and provided prior Constitutional Court rulings on holding shares to support his claim. Mr. Pita made headlines earlier for discussing raising the minimum daily wage to 450 baht with representatives of 40 labor unions in Samut Prakan’s Bang Sao Thong district.
With the events unfolding, the future of Mr. Pita’s political career and the implications for the Move Forward Party remain uncertain. The Constitutional Court’s decision will set a precedent that may significantly influence future cases involving electoral candidates and their share-holding activities, ultimately shaping the Thai political landscape.
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