By Thai Newsroom Reporters
FIVE LAWMAKERS attached to coalition partners in government were today (Dec. 8) deprived of their MP status by judgement of the Constitutional Court over their outlawed activism conducted against a general election seven years ago.
The Constitutional Court ruled the anti-vote activism orchestrated by the five deposed MPs, namely Thaworn Senniam, Nattapol Teepsuwan, Puttipong Punnakunta, Issara Somchai and Chumpol Julasai, at and around polling units in Bangkok and the provinces to stymie the 2014 election was evidently a breach of the laws and immediately deprived those legislators of their MP status.
In the name of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, the five politicians had conducted mass protests on Bangkok streets alongside former deputy premier Suthep Thuagsuban against an elected government under then-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra who was finally ousted by a coup orchestrated by then-army chief, now-premier Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Given such a court ruling, a by-election will be held in Chumphorn and another in Songkhla to replace Chumpol and Thaworn respectively within 45 days from today whereas two candidates ranked below Nattapol and Puttipong on the 2019 electoral list of Palang Pracharath Party will automatically replace the deposed lawmakers and a candidate ranked below Issara on the list of Democrat Party will automatically become an MP in his place.
Three of the five deposed lawmakers who had been ordered by court to stop doing their MP duties since last April pending today’s court ruling were also reshuffled out of the Prayut cabinet earlier this year. That referred to Puttipong as digital economy and society minister, Nattapol as education minister and Thaworn as deputy transport minister.
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Top: The Constitutional Court judges handing down their ruling today (Dec.8).
Home Page: Three lawmakers and representatives of two other lawmakers at the Constitutional Court today. Photos: Thai Rath
