Ruangkrai warns of complaints against parliamentarians who vote for Pita
A political activist whose legal crusade led to the suspension of Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat on Wednesday warned MPs and senators against voting for Pita in the second round of the election for prime minister.
Ruangkrai Leekitwattana reached Parliament immediately after the Constitutional Court resolved to suspend Pita as an MP pending a deliberation as to whether he should be disqualified as petitioned by the Election Commission.
Ruangkrai’s complaint against Pita to the EC, alleging the Move Forward leader as being disqualified to contest the May 14 general election, led to the EC approaching the charter court.
Ruangkrai alleged that Pita was unqualified to contest the May 14 election because he held 42,000 shares in iTV Plc, which the activist claimed was an active media firm.
The EC last week sent the case to the court, asking it to annul Pita’s MP status.
Ruangkrai boasted to Parliament-beat reporters that the decision of the Constitutional Court was no surprise for him.
“I was sure of my information because of the log of the shareholders and the objective of iTV Plc that I had submitted to the EC,” Ruangkrai said.
He said Pita must immediately leave the meeting room of Parliament after the court’s decision to suspend him from duty.
He said if MPs and senators voted for Pita as the PM candidate, he would file a malfeasance complaint against them with the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
He said Pita should show the right spirit by opting out of the PM race and focus on defending himself in court.
“I think Pheu Thai should instead nominate its candidate for prime minister,” Ruangkrai added.
The court on Wednesday morning suspended Pita from duty while the two chambers were still debating whether Pita could be renominated in the second round of voting for PM after he failed in the first round last Thursday.
