20 November 2019

“The Future Forward party is a journey...”


Democracy Monument

The Thai Constitutional Court has disqualified Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit as an MP, ruling that he violated the constitution by holding shares in a media company. Thanathorn had claimed that he sold his shares in V-Luck Media to his mother in January, and that she paid for them by cheque at that time. However, it was not until May — after this year’s election — that the cheque was cashed.

Article 98 of the constitution forbids MPs from holding shares in media companies. After the verdict, Thanathorn said: “The election on 24th March was not the only battle. The Future Forward party is a journey. It still needs to undergo many elections and importantly, I am still a prime ministerial candidate.” (It is not necessary for prime ministers to be MPs, thus Thanathorn remains eligible for nomination as PM at the next election.)