EC Refers Pita's Case To Constitutional Court But Ruling Won't Come Today

In another setback for Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat, the Election Commission (EC) referred his shareholding case to the Constitutional Court and asked the judicial body to suspend his MP status until the ruling.

• The EC said that it had enough evidence to refer the case to the top court after its fact-finding committee concluded its investigation into whether Pita may have knowingly applied for office despite being ineligible to do so.
• Thai Enquirer reports that the Constitutional Court was scheduled to convene today at 13:00 local time for its weekly meeting. However, according to the outlet, the court may be unable to hear Pita's case today.
• This does not formally prevent Pita from being elected Prime Minister tomorrow, but will provide a strong argument for many Senators not to vote for him at a time when press reports are pointing to his struggle to secure enough senatorial votes.
• The EC's decision complicates Thailand's political situation, as it remains uncertain who could be Pita's rival in the race for the top job. Outgoing PM Prayuth has just announced his retirement from politics, while former ruling PPRP said that they will not nominate their leader Prawit.
• Just a day before the PM vote, Pita's chance for taking office seems to be rather slim, and in the unlikely scenario in which he secures enough votes, he would still have a case in the Constitutional Court to answer.
• The pro-democracy coalition have so far insisted that installing Pita as PM is their only plan, but they may be forced to propose a candidate from Pheu Thai. Otherwise, pro-military parties may extend an offer to Pheu Thai to form a unity government - which would entail considerable reputational costs for the latter party.