- After winning the most seats in the national elections, Pita Limjaroenrat announced his resignation as party leader.
- Thai lawmakers are not permitted to possess media stock, according to the constitution.
- Pita has promised to continue participating and urged supporters to assemble on September 24.
After winning the most seats in the national elections, Pita Limjaroenrat, the reformist Move Forward Party (MFP) leader in Thailand, announced his resignation as party leader. Taking advantage of opposition to the junta-backed government, Limjaroenrat led the party to victory.
Following conservative opposition, he was demoted from the House of Commons. The MFP declared they would enter opposition and formed a coalition government with pro-military parties after ending their alliance with Pheu Thai Party, a competing opposition party.
Pita Limjaroenrat
Pita, the MFP’s party leader and the leader of the opposition in Thailand, has resigned so that an MP can take over as leader of the opposition. Pita’s suspension was brought on by the fact that he held stock in a now-owned by the Constitutional Court bankrupt media company.
Thai lawmakers are not permitted to possess media stock, according to the constitution. Pita highlighted the significance of the opposition leader’s position by comparing it to “the prow (of a ship) that determines the direction of the opposition.” Voting for the new leader will need to take place at a general party meeting.
Following the success of the MFP in the May elections, Pita, the party’s 43-year-old leader, is faced with several legal and political obstacles.
He withdrew from the contest for prime minister after his initial attempt was unsuccessful owing to a Senate established by the junta and was denied a second chance by lawmakers.
A second complaint being considered by the Constitutional Court asserts that the MFP’s efforts to change Thailand’s royal defamation statute amount to the overthrow of the monarchy. Pita has promised to continue participating and urged supporters to assemble on September 24 in the city’s center.
