PUBLISHED : 19 Jul 2023 at 14:35
Hashtags #Pita and #Constitutional Court shot to the top of Twitter trends on Wednesday after the charter court suspended the Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate from duty as an elected member of the House of Representatives.
The Constitutional Court unanimously voted to accept a petition from the Election Commission (EC) against the MFP leader over his shareholding in defunct media company iTV Plc for judicial review.
The court announced that Pita was suspended from duty as a party-list MP until the court delivers its ruling in the case.
Mr Pita previously said he did not own the shares as he only inherited them from his father. The shares were listed under his name as he was the executor of his father’s estate. He had explained the matter to the poll agency before he was sworn in, he said. The shares had later been transferred to relatives.
The law prohibits shareholders in media firms from running for parliament.
The suspension was announced as the elected House and the appointed Senate were sitting in joint session on Wednesday to elect the country’s 30th prime minister. It was the second round of voting after Mr Pita failed to secure the needed majority last Thursday. He was renominated on Wednesday.
The court’s decision fuelled a flurry of social media activity, with the hashtags #พิธา (Pita) and #ศาลรัฐธรรมนูญ (Constitutional Court) immediately becoming top trenders on Twitter. Many social media users commented on the issue.
Mr Pita, 42, whose party won the May 14 general election with 151 House seats, failed in his initial bid last Thursday to become prime minister, after he was unable to secure the required endorsement of more than half of the members of the two chambers of parliament. Many senators abstained.
After the voting last Thursday, the MPF submitted a proposal to parliament seeking to strip the military-appointed senators of their power to co-elect the prime minister.
A woman bursts into tears outside parliament on Wednesday after learning of the Constitutional Court’s ruling to suspend Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat from duty as an MP. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)