July 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Election Commission of Thailand has referred to the Constitutional Court the case that could lead to the disqualification of Pita Limjaroenrat, from the opposition party Avanzar, who won the elections held on May 14 in the Asian country.
The case is now in the hands of the court, which will have to determine whether the Thai businessman, who starts as the main favorite to occupy the head of government, violated the regulations by having thousands of shares in various media in his possession despite stand in the elections.
Thus, the entity has indicated that there is “sufficient information to believe that there are reasons to present this petition” before the Constitutional Court, according to information from the newspaper ‘Bangkok Post’.
If found guilty of breaking the law, the Thai politician could face up to 10 years in jail and a disqualification, which would send the country back to the polls.
Pita is at the head of a coalition of eight parties that adds up to 312 of the 500 deputies elected in the House of Representatives, although this majority is insufficient due to the decision-making power of the Senate to appoint the new prime minister.
The opposition coalition needs 376 seats between the two legislative chambers to confirm the prime minister. To clear any hurdles in the Senate, it would have been ideal for him to get all those seats in the elections.
The panorama seems complicated because Avanzar has won with an enormously progressive program, aimed at limiting the powers of an untouchable monarchy.
Another obstacle that Avanzar has tried to overcome in recent hours has been the open controversy after he invited the small Chartpattanakla party to join his coalition; a decision that has angered opposition party supporters given that Chartpattanakla leader Korn Chatikavanij is a former MP who voted to keep then-junta leader and later country’s prime minister Prayuth Chan Ocha in power after the 2019 elections. Avanzar withdrew his invitation shortly after.
