Thailand’s Constitutional Court yesterday disqualified outspoken opposition party leader Thanathorn Jungroongruangkit as a member of parliament after finding him guilty of violating election law.
Thanathorn, 40, the leader of the progressive Future Forward Party, has emerged as one of the most prominent opponents of the administration of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha after the new opposition party came a surprise third in the election for Thailand’s House of Representatives.
MEDIA SHARES
The court found Thanathorn guilty of holding shares in a media company after registering his candidacy for the election to formally end five years of military rule.
In its ruling, the court said that the evidence against Thanathorn outweighed that in his favor.
Thanathorn had denied the accusation, saying he transferred his shares before beginning the campaign.
ARMY CRITIC
Thanathorn has been a fierce critic of the army’s involvement in politics and did particularly well among young voters in the election from which the pro-military party was declared the winner after a disputed ballot count.
Ahead of the court ruling Thanathorn thanked supporters at the court, saying: “The Future Forward Party is a journey ... All of us will continue fighting and keep moving forward.
Future Forward is part of an opposition alliance that disputed the vote count and accused the army of writing the electoral rules to ensure that Prayuth, a former military leader, would remain as prime minister.
Thanathorn’s party won 80 out of the 500 seats in the National Assembly’s lower house.
OTHER CHARGES
The court had earlier suspended Thanathorn from parliament pending the verdict to this case.
The Future Forward leader also faces two criminal charges, one for computer crime for a speech he posted on Facebook criticizing the junta last year, and another for sedition for allegedly aiding anti-junta protesters in 2015.
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