Thailand’s blocked PM challenger Pita Limjaroenrat reinstated as MP by court
File photo of Thailand's Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat.
The Constitutional Court in Thailand on Wednesday (Jan 24) reinstated the thwarted prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, as an MP, nearly six months after he was suspended.
Judge Punya Udchachon delivered the verdict and said the court decided thatLimjaroenrat's MP status had not ended.
"ITV was not operating as media company on the day the party submitted the respondent's name for election.Holding the shares did not violate the law. The court has ruled his MP status has not ended," said JudgeUdchachon, reading the verdict.
Notably, if the court had ruled against Pita, he would have faced disqualification from parliament altogether.
Why wasPita suspended?
It was inJuly last year that Pita, theex-leader of Thailand's reformist Move Forward Party (MFP), was suspended while he was waiting for the ruling of the Constitutional Court over his ownership of shares in a media company, which is now defunct.
As per the Constitution of Thailand, MPs are not allowed to own media shares. Emphasising the importance of the role, Pita said that it was like "the prow (of a ship) that determines the direction of the opposition".
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In September, he submitted his resignation as the party leader stating he was paving the way for an "MP that is able to have a voice in the parliament".
"Due to my MP suspension, I won't be able to get my MP position and be opposition leader in the near future,"wrote Pitaon his official Facebook page.
What does the future hold for Pita?
While Pita led his party to win the most votes in last year's general elections, he was blocked from becoming the PM due to his suspension.
However, even before Wednesday's ruling, the media-savvy politician insisted he would run for office again and remained confident of getting his MP title back.
Last year, during an interview with news agency AFP, Pita reiterated that he would take another crack at the PM role, saying he was "not giving up".
During the election canvassing trail, Pita capitalised on the majority of voters who were disenchanted by the decades-long junta-backed rule that had pushed the country's economy on a downward slope.
(With inputs from agencies)