Thailand’s Highest Court Suspends Leader of Opposition From Parliament
Wednesday’s ruling by the Constitutional Court comes on the same day parliament is set to vote on his candidacy for prime minister, and one week after the country’s election commission said there was evidence the leader of the Move Forward Party owns shares in a media company, a violation that would bar him from running for office.
The company, iTV, has been defunct for years. Pita argues that his ownership of shares was not a violation of election rules.
The Move Forward party pulled off an upset victory in May’s parliamentary elections, giving the eight-party coalition 312 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives as voters rejected candidates from military-backed parties that have ruled Thailand for nine years.
But Pita fell more than 50 votes short to win the post due to strong opposition in the conservative military-backed Senate. He can still run for prime minister despite the court’s ruling that he be suspended from parliament.
Pita could also be banned from politics and face several years in prison if he is tried and convicted on the allegations.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.