The disagreement between the Move Forward and the Pheu Thai parties over the House speakership is expected to be settled in the next two weeks, according to Move Forward Secretary-General Chaithawat Tulathon, while also dismissing speculation that Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew might take the House speakership.
He said that he is confident that Pita Limjaroenrat, the party leader and prime ministerial candidate, can clear himself over the allegation that he owns 42,000 shares in the iTV media company.
He also dismissed, as too farfetched, conjecture by Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam that Pita’s alleged shareholding may result in the disqualification of Pita’s election candidacy, followed by the dissolution of the MoveForward party and the holding of a fresh general election.
He said that he is confident that the party’s legal team will be able to defend Pita to the Election Commission and, ultimately, in the Constitutional Court, if the case is forwarded to the court by the Election Commission.
According to the Thai charter, an electoral candidate is forbidden to hold a stake in a media company or to own a media company. Doing so would result in the candidate beingdisqualified from contesting an election.
Meanwhile, a former Constitutional Court judge, Supoj Kaimook, said that the court could rule either way, but thatruling must be reasonable and acceptable to the public.
