Update : Charter Court orders Pita to stop performing his parliamentary duties immediately | Thai PBS World

Update : Charter Court orders Pita to stop performing his parliamentary duties immediately

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Charter Court orders Pita to stop performing his parliamentary duties immediately

The Constitutional Court unanimously agreed today (Wednesday) to accept for consideration Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat's iTV share ownership case and, in a majority decision, ordered him to stop performing his duties as an MP immediately.

Pita has remained in the parliament chamber as the Court's order did not affect his candidacy for PM position.

A petition for the Charter Court to rule on Pita's parliamentary status was submitted by serial petitioner Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, who accused him of holding 42,000 iTV shares, a media company, when he registered his electoral candidacy, which is a violation of the charter.

The Constitutional Court ruled that the accusation has grounds, adding that Pita is entitled to rebut the accusation within 15 days.

On the petition to order Pita to stop performing his parliamentary duties, the Constitutional Court ruled 7-2 to order him to stop immediately.

After the Court issued the order for Pita to cease performing his MP duties, there are reports of more people gathering outside the parliament compound. Police have increased security around parliament.

Pita has been renominated for the premiership at a joint sitting of MPs and the Senate, after he failed to secure enough parliamentary votes for the position last week.