Thai lawmakers vote to void Pita’s nomination to be prime minister

Pita Limjaroenrat’s hopes of becoming Thailand’s next prime minister were dashed on Wednesday after lawmakers votes to void his nomination

The decision comes amid scrutiny over his shares in a media firm, as Thai lawmakers are forbidden from owning shares in media companies under the constitution

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Move Forward Party Leader Pita Limjaroenrat pictured in Thailand’s parliament on Wednesday. The court issued its suspension just as Pita was sitting in parliament for another day of deliberations on whether he could become prime minister. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:15pm, 19 Jul 2023Updated: 6:41pm, 19 Jul 2023

Thailand’s parliament voted in favour on Wednesday of voiding the prime ministerial nomination of Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, after political rivals challenged the use of a rule under which he was put forward as a candidate.

Pita was seeking to contest a second legislative vote on the premiership after failing to win the backing of the bicameral parliament last week.

Thailand’s constitutional court suspended reformist Pita Limjaroenrat earlier in the day, just as Pita was sitting in parliament for another day of deliberations on whether he could become prime minister, after his first attempt fell 51 votes short last week.

Pita’s Move Forward Party had rode high on the hopes of young and urban Thais wearied by nearly a decade of army-backed rule, but its efforts to form a government have stumbled since the May polls.

Thailand’s conservative establishment vehemently opposes the party’s economic reform platform and its pledge to soften the kingdom’s strict royal defamation laws.

Move Forward Party supporters react after hearing about Pita Limjaroenrat’s suspension as they gather outside Thailand’s parliament in Bangkok on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Earlier on Wednesday, the country’s constitutional court announced it would take up a case on whether Pita should be disqualified from parliament altogether for owning shares in a media company, ordering him to leave the assembly in the meantime.