(Bangkok) Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the pro-democracy party that won Thailand’s parliamentary elections, is threatened with disqualification after the electoral commission opened an investigation on Monday into suspicions of irregularities, a new twist in the uncertain road to power .
The progressive Move Forward movement created a surprise last May, inflicting a historic setback on the military who have controlled the country since the 2014 coup.
Despite a clear victory, and the support of a majority coalition in the National Assembly, its young 42-year-old leader, the face of the renewal desired by the new generations, is not certain of becoming the next prime minister.
The Electoral Commission (EC) must determine whether or not Pita Limjaroenrat was qualified for the ballot, due to shares he owns in a television channel.
Thailand’s election code prohibits candidates from owning shares in a newspaper or other type of news media.
“There are enough elements and evidence to further investigate Pita Limjaroenrat’s qualification for the ballot,” EC chairman Ittiporn Boonprakong told AFP.
“The electoral commission has created an investigation committee,” the official continued.
Pita Limjaroenrat explained that he had inherited shares in the iTV television channel from his father, which has not been broadcasting since 2007.
He defended himself from any illegal maneuver, pointing to a politically motivated procedure.
“Move Forward always has faith that people power will win in the end, and that the election commission will work honestly based on constitutional principles,” party general secretary Chaitawat Tulathon said on Monday.
Following the investigation, the electoral commission will decide whether there is reason to transmit the file to the Constitutional Court, which must decide.
Senate Opposition
Mr. Limjaroenrat faces a prison sentence ranging from one to ten years, and the revocation of his right to vote for 20 years.
This announcement throws confusion around Move Forward, still far from being able to form a government despite a resounding victory at the polls.
The formation associated with the orange color won the largest number of deputies in Parliament, ahead of the other heavyweight of the pro-democracy opposition, Pheu Thai, controlled by the wealthy Shinawatra family.
The two movements have joined forces in an eight-party coalition that has a comfortable majority in the lower house.
But to become prime minister in the vote expected at the end of July, Pita Limjaroenrat needs the support of some of the 250 senators appointed by the army.
However, some of them have already announced their opposition to the progressive candidate whose program calls into question the place of certain institutions deemed favorable to the conservative elites.
Move Forward notably promised to rewrite the 2017 Constitution drafted by the junta then in power, to end compulsory military conscription and to legalize same-sex marriage.
The party also has to deal with the threat of legal action, a recurring scenario in Thailand’s political history littered with coups and dissolutions.
The dissolution of Future Forward in 2020, the forerunner of Move Forward, led to massive protests in Bangkok demanding more democracy and transparency.
A similar decision against Move Forward could create new major challenges, experts say.