Charter court rules Pheu Thai’s Nawat disqualified as MP

Convicted Pheu Thai MP for Khon Kaen province Nawat Tohcharoensook lost his parliamentary status on October 16^th, when he was suspended by the Constitutional Court from performing his duty as an MP, according to a ruling by a panel of Constitutional Court judges.

Nawat was sentenced to death, by Khon Kaen’s provincial court on September 24^th, after it found him guilty of ordering gunmen to kill Suchart Kotethum, an assistant mayor of the Khon Kaen provincial administration organization, on May 3^rd, 2013.

The ruling Constitutional Court noted that Nawat was not qualified to be an MP once he had been sentenced to death and, hence, his MP status had ended.

As a result of the disqualification, the Election Commission must hold a by-election in Khon Kaen’s Constituency 7 within 45 days to fill the vacant seat.