EC asked to disqualify 11 Future Forward election candidates

Activist Srisuwan Janya speaks to reporters as he files a complaint against 11 candidates of the Future Forward Party at the Office of the Election Commission in Bangkok on Monday. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)

Activist Srisuwan Janya on Monday asked the Election Commission to take legal action against 11 election candidates of the Future Forward Party (FFP) for alleged shareholdings in media companies.

He said that his Association for the Protection of the Constitution had received complaints that candidates owned shares in media companies in violation of the constitution and the law governing the election of members of parliament.

He had checked business registrations with the Department of Business Development under the Commerce Ministry and found 11 FFP candidates, some of them unofficial winners, had shares in media organisations, including newspaper companies, Mr Srisuwan said.

If they were confirmed in violation of the law they would be liable to jail terms of 1-10 years and/or fines of 20,000-200,000 baht, and could lose their electoral rights for 20 years, he said.

Of the 11 targets, four ran in constituencies in Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Sakon Nakhon and Saraburi provinces.

The rest were party-list candidates - in the 9th, 19th, 26th, 38th, 71st, 94th and 111th positions.

Mr Srisuwan said he would on Thursday file similar complaints of illegal media shareholding against a few candidates of the Palang Pracharath Party, and 3 or 4 of the Pheu Thai Party.