Move Forward party secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon has accused the Election Commission (EC) of acting suspiciously with its hasty decision to ask the Constitutional Court to consider party leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s iTV share-holding case, without giving Pita a chance to defend the case.

Chaithawat and a group of Move Forward MPs held an impromptu press conference in parliament this morning, immediately after the EC submitted the case to the Constitutional Court and asked the court to order Pita to stop performing his duty as an MP immediately, before the court even decides whether to accept the case.

Chaithawat accused the commission of not following its own regulations regarding the investigation and decision making in Pita’s case.

Pita was accused of owning 42,000 shares in iTV, a media company, which were inherited from his father who died almost 20 years ago.

He then warned the EC and other charter-mandated independent organisations not to abuse their authority, as he insisted that Pita will be nominated tomorrow, a nomination which will be voted upon.

Meanwhile, it is reported that Democrat MPs agreed unanimously today (Wednesday) to abstain from voting tomorrow.

The party explained that said their MPs’ decision to abstain is in line with the party’s clear stance of not supporting the candidate of a party that advocates amending the lèse majesté law.