People’s party lines up successors should Supreme Court suspend 10 of MPs

The People’s party has formed a team of successors to replace its party leader, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, and other key party figures in case they are suspended from their parliamentary duties by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to decide on Friday whether to accept the lèse majesté cases filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) against 44 former MPs of the now defunct Move Forward party, including 10 incumbent MPs of the People’s party, for their roles in endorsing a bill to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or lèse majesté law.

The NACC has also asked the court to suspend the 10 serving MPs.

Earlier, the Constitutional Court ruled that attempts to amend Section 112 through legislative means amounted to a bid to overthrow democratic rule with the King as the head of state.

The ten People’s party’s MPs include eight party-list MPs, including Natthaphong, and two constituency MPs.

Informed party sources say that Natthaphong would be succeeded by Veerayooth Kanchoochat, one of the deputy leaders and he would become the party’s secretary-general, replacing Sarayuth Jailak who has stepped down.

Party-list MP Parit Wacharasindhu would become the opposition chief whip while Pakamon Noon-anan would become the party’s spokesperson, succeeding Parit.

The sources said that the posts are not, however, definite yet and are still subject to review by the party’s general assembly before April 24.

The party‘s legal team believes the Supreme Court can either refuses to accept the NACC’s case, accept the case, but refuse to suspend the MPs, or the court can ask the NACC to revise its case.