FFP calls on EC for details of list MPs

The Future Forward Party (FFP) has demanded that the Election Commission officially release full details of all the list MPs in parliament following a number of defections in recent months.

Jirawat Aranyakanont, the FFP MP for Bangkok, yesterday insisted the EC has not been clear about the current MP tally for each party despite a number switching parties recently.

He was referring to the four renegade MPs the FFP voted to expel late last year — Chon Buri MP Kawinnat Takee, Chanthaburi MPs Thanaphat Kittiwongsa and Charuek Sri-on, and Chiang Mai MP Srinuan Boonlue — who all joined coalition parties.

Also, list-MP Paiboon Nititawan disbanded his own People Reform Party last year before he joined the ruling Palang Pracharath Party.

The EC has announced this week the Democrat Party had lost a party-list seat due to one of its losing candidates in the March 24 election being found guilty of violating election law.

The EC took one list MP away from the Democrats and gave it to Thai Rak Tham, a micro-party.

The Supreme Court judgement last year found Chartchai Worapipat, the Democrat candidate for Chanthaburi, guilty of intentionally spreading misinformation during the election campaign.

Even though Mr Chartchai failed to win a seat, he garnered 19,711 votes which were used to calculate the number of list MPs for the party.

Mr Jirawat said yesterday the EC must clarify whether votes won by defecting MPs are combined with the party list votes of the parties they move to.

He said the lack of clarity over the party-list votes may lead to a question of whether the EC was favouring a government which commands a thin majority.