Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has responded to allegations that Prime Ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat owns shares in a media company, which would disqualify him from becoming the country’s next leader.
The DPM stated that the intricacy of these allegations would determine the likelihood of by-elections.
The subject has raised questions about whether by-elections would be necessary if Mr. Pita were to be disqualified from both his MP status and Prime Ministerial bid.
The Election Commission (EC) has received petitions asking it to investigate Mr. Pita’s ownership of stock in the company that owned the now-defunct TV station iTV.
Many believe the EC would then refer these claims to the Constitutional Court for decision. The MFP’s (Move Forward Party) leader is Mr. Pita.
Wissanu also said that should the petitions cite Mr. Pita’s endorsement of party members and MP candidates, leading to by-elections, MPs-elect from MFP could also be disqualified.
Since the law does not mandate that prime ministers be chosen from among parliamentary members, he claimed that the claims themselves would still allow Mr. Pita to become prime minister if they were only made to determine Mr. Pita’s eligibility as a member of parliament.
However, if they were made to determine Mr. Pita’s eligibility as a candidate for prime minister, Mr. Pita might still succeed to the position.Mr. Pita asserted that MFP has prepared replies for a number of eventualities and that there is still time for these issues to be clarified.
