Thailand’s PM Frontrunner Faces Election Probe Over Shares in Media Firm

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Thailand’s polling body said Monday that it will investigate if front-running prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat is qualified to run for office, which could derail his plan of forming a new government.

The Election Commission said the probe will determine whether Pita ran in last month’s election despite being aware of his disqualification owing to his ownership of shares in media firm ITV, which violates election rules.

ITV ceased operations in 2007, but political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana said the company is still actively doing radio broadcasts and advertising, Thai PBS reported.

Ruangkrai claimed that Pita owns 42,000 shares in ITV and alleged that Pita failed to include this in his 2019 asset declaration. ITV was said to have generated 20 million baht ($579,165) in revenue last year.

Pita, 42-year-old leader of the liberal Move Forward Party, later explained that the shares were part of his late father’s estate, which he had already disclosed to the anti-corruption agency in 2019.

“I already submitted details about the shares. I saw it with my own eyes,” Pita was quoted as saying by Thai PBS.

However, the election body said there are sufficient grounds to suspect Pita’s eligibility to run for office and his violation of the law.

If found guilty, Pita could face disqualification and a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years. He will also be banned from participating in politics for 20 years.

Chaitawat Tulathon, secretary-general of the Move Forward Party, said “the party is confident that the allegations do not have sufficient evidence” that will affect Pita’s prime ministerial nomination.

Pita’s Move Forward Party won the most seats in a May 14 election and defeated parties allied with the military, which has ruled Thailand for nearly a decade after its 2014 coup.

The party won huge support among the youth by advocating for institutional change, including reducing the army’s political role, undoing monopolies, and reviewing a controversial law against insulting the monarchy.

Speaking to reporters on May 14, Pita told reporters that his new government will be “anti-dictator-backed, military-backed parties, for sure.”

“It’s safe to assume that minority government is no longer possible here in Thailand,” he added.

The party formed an alliance with six smaller parties, but Pita’s bid to form a government is expected to face resistance in a conservative-leaning Senate that was appointed under the military. A bicameral vote on a prime minister is expected by August.

The conservative United Thai Nation party, which is led by outgoing Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a retired general who led the most recent coup, warned that a change in government could lead to conflict.

“The decision of the people on May 14 will decide whether Thailand will move forward with stability and unity as it has done in the past eight years, or will be dragged backward into a black hole of conflict and mutiny,” the party stated last month.

Reuters contributed to this report.