Turmoil in Thailand as rivals derail election winner Pita’s bid to become PM

BANGKOK: Thailand’s political turmoil continues as the parliament voted to disqualify leading candidate Pita Limjaroenrat from a second shot at the position, Al Jazeera reported.

This is likely to be the end of the road for the leader of the party that took the most votes in elections in May. Pi-ta had put together a group of political organisations with a majority in the House of Representatives.

However, his nomination for prime minister was lost last week in a combined vote of the House and Senate as conservative military-appointed senators mostly refused to support Pita’s candidature.

According to Al Jazeera, a joint session debated on Wednesday whether Pita could be nominated for a second time, and House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha put the question to a vote.

The elections in May, which saw a record turnout, delivered a powerful rebuke to the military-backed establish-ment that has ruled Thailand since 2014 when then-army chief Prayut Chan-o-cha seized power in a coup.

65 days have gone since that election. Hundreds of Pita’s supporters gathered peacefully in Bangkok to protest against the efforts to stop him, some carrying signs denouncing senators., reported Al Jazeera.

According to CNN, Pita was temporarily suspended as a lawmaker by the country’s constitutional court after a complaint filed by the Election Commission against the Move Forward Party leader, accusing him of violating elec-tion laws for allegedly holding shares in a media company.

Pita has denied that he broke election rules and previously accused the Election Commission of rushing the case to court.

According to CNN, the Move Forward Party had pledged deep structural reforms to how Thailand is run, propos-ing changes to the military, the economy, the decentralization of power, and even reforms to the previously un-touchable monarchy. (ANI)

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