A general view of Thailand Senate. (File photo used for representational purpose only.)
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Forty caretaker senators on May 17 petitioned Thailand’s Constitutional Court to dismiss Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin over a Cabinet appointment which they say breaches the constitution.

The senators object to the appointment of Pichit Chuenban, a former lawyer, as Minister to Mr. Srettha’s office last month during a Cabinet reshuffle.

Mr. Pichit was jailed for six months in 2008 for contempt of court after an alleged attempt to bribe court officials with two million baht ($55,218) [($1 = 36.2200 baht)] hidden in a paper grocery bag. His law licence was suspended for five years by the Lawyers Council of Thailand after the incident.

The senators said they were seeking a court ruling on whether Mr. Pichit has the integrity and ethical standards required by the constitution to hold a Ministerial position and whether Mr. Srettha had breached the law by making the appointment.

“Pichit is not qualified to be a Minister but the Prime Minister still nominated him for the position,” Senator Derekrid Janekrongtham told Reuters. “The Prime Minister’s action may therefore breach ethical standards as well,” he said.

Government critics say Mr. Pichit was appointed to the Cabinet due to his close relationship with a client, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who returned to Thailand last year after 15 years in exile. Mr. Thaksin still wields considerable political influence over the government.

Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke dismissed the senators’ accusation, and said the government had carefully vetted Mr. Pichit’s qualification. “Our legal team insists that the appointment is lawful and there is no problem with his qualification,” Mr. Chai told Reuters.

The 40 senators, whose term ended earlier this month but who remain as caretakers until a new selection process is completed in July, are part of an appointed Upper House of Parliament introduced by the military when it changed Thailand’s constitution after a 2014 coup.

Last year, the same senators closed ranks with military-backed parties to block the anti-establishment Move Forward party from forming a government.

Pita Limjaroenrat. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Pita Limjaroenrat, whose reformist party won the most seats at Thailand’s national elections in May, resigned as its leader on September 15.

The young challenger led the Move Forward Party (MFP) to the top spot in the polls, capitalising on a swell of voters furious at a near-decade of junta-backed rule.

However, he was stopped becoming Prime Minister by entrenched conservative blocs in Parliament, and was later suspended as an MP.

The MFP left a coalition partnership with opposition rivals Pheu Thai, who went on to form a coalition government with pro-military parties and said they would go into opposition.

“I resigned as the MFP’s party leader to pave the way for an MP that is able to have a voice in Parliament, be the opposition leader,” Pita wrote on his official Facebook page. Under current rules, the Leader of the Opposition must be an MP.

“Due to my MP suspension, I won’t be able to get my MP position and be opposition leader in the near future,” Pita posted.

In July, he was suspended as an MP while waiting for the Constitutional Court’s ruling over his ownership of shares in a now-defunct media company. MPs are prohibited from owning media shares, under the Thai constitution. In the Facebook post, Pita said he would remain closely involved in the party.

“No matter what my role is, I will still be involved in MFP and will work closely with the people to my fullest capacity, so that we could achieve something together.”