The Constitutional Court of Thailand has accepted two petitions against Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party and main candidate for prime minister, Thai media reported on Wednesday
BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2023) The Constitutional Court of Thailand has accepted two petitions against Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party and main candidate for prime minister, Thai media reported on Wednesday.
The first petition was filed by Thailand's election commission, which accuses Limjaroenrat of violating the country's constitution and electoral law as a shareholder in the ITV television company, the Matichon daily newspaper reported.
Thailand's constitution prohibits candidates and members of the country's parliament from owning media outlets. Meanwhile, the petition filed by the election commission says that Limjaroenrat owned 42,000shares in ITV inherited from his father at the time of his candidacy for the 2023 parliamentary elections, the report said.
The court may deprive Limjaroenrat of his deputy status and prohibit him from engaging in politics for five or 10 years if the politician is found guilty. Moreover, the case could then be referred to Thailand's Supreme Court for political office holders, and then the Move Forward Party leader might face a fine and even imprisonment.
The second petition against Limjaroenrat was filed by a Thai lawyer. It reportedly contains accusations against Limjaroenrat and his party of attempting to undermine the constitutional monarchy of Thailand. The petition says that during the election campaign, the party was urging the removal of section 112 from laws concerning offenses against national security, which represents an alleged attempt to illegally change the political system of the nation, the report said.
If the constitutional court upholds the second petition, the Move Forward Party may be dissolved, while its leaders, including Limjaroenrat, may lose the right to engage in politics for 10 years, the report said.
