the electoral commission recommends the suspension of the winner of the elections

The Constitutional Court must now indicate whether it agrees to take up this thorny affair, which plunges the kingdom into uncertainty.

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The winner of the legislative elections Pita Limjaroenrat in Thailand, July 12, 2023. (SARAH LAI / AFP)

Political earthquake in Thailand. The electoral commission recommended, Wednesday July 12, the suspension of the reformist deputy Pita Limjaroenrat, winner of the legislative elections of May and candidate to become Prime Minister. The Constitutional Court must now indicate whether it agrees to take up this thorny affair, which plunges the kingdom into uncertainty.

The electoral commission has been investigating since early June Pita Limjaroenrat, 42, about shares he owned during the campaign in a television channel. Thailand’s election code prohibits candidates from owning shares in news media. The parliamentarian, who risks prison, the loss of his parliamentary seat and ineligibility for 20 years, defends himself from any illegal maneuver.

New elections?

His Move Forward party surprisingly inflicted a stinging setback on the military in power for almost a decade, with a program that echoes the massive demonstrations of 2020 for more democracy.

Two months after his victory, Pita Limjaroenrat is uncertain of becoming the next prime minister, due to his legal troubles and the opposition of senators favorable to the army which appointed them. In the event of failure on Thursday, new rounds will be organized, with the hypothesis that a more consensual candidate emerges in place of the winner of the legislative elections.


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