Thai court removes maverick leader from parliament over election law breach

The constitutional court in Thailand ruled that the leader of the Future Forward Party, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, who finished at the third position in the general election, disregarded the election laws and could no longer claim his seat in the Parliament. According to reports, the court stated that Thanathorn violated an election law that prohibited heads of media companies from running for Parliament as the leader's claims of selling his stake in a media company before the elections were squashed by the court. The Future Forward Party was a constant problem for the conservative hierarchy in Thailand as the party was disliked by the conservatives for its anti-military stand.

'Thanathorn violated the election law'

Thanathorn was prohibited from taking his seat in the lower house of the Thai parliament after the initial investigation by the Election commission found out that he had disregarded the law. The suspension took place because if he was found guilty of the charges, it would cause an obstruction to the flow of work in the meetings in the house.

Thanathorn stated that it was not a time to mourn the things that had happened instead it was the right time to expose the dictatorship rule in Thailand. He further added that what had happened was complete injustice and called for people to stand united and fight to restore justice to Thai society.

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The party maintained its gadfly

The Future Forward Party's leader stated that he would be suing the members of the election commission because of their improper behaviour and forwarded his case to the constitutional court before it was properly investigated.

However, the party maintained its gadfly (someone who persistently challenges people in positions of power, the status quo or a popular position) in the parliament.

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Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is a billionaire whose fortunes come from the business of the auto parts industry. He founded his party in the year 2018 as Thailand was gearing up for a general election after a brief period of military rule that started in 2014. The party was initially supported by the youth and working professionals who were young but it went to have a wider appeal in many parts of Thailand.

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(With inputs from agencies)