Ambitions could be dashed

Pita Limjaroenrat’s brief return to the political scene recently has warmed the hearts of many zealous orange camp supporters, buoyed by his reiterated aspiration to be the country’s best prime minister nine years down the road.

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His absence from politics resulted from the Move Forward Party's (MFP) demise.

In August 2024, the Constitutional Court found the party and its executives, including party leader Mr Pita, guilty of trying to amend the lèse majesté law — an act tantamount to attempting to overthrow the constitutional monarchy. For this, the court ordered the MFP dissolved and Mr Pita and other party executives to serve a 10-year political ban.

The MFP was succeeded days later by the People’s Party (PP), with its MPs moving over to the new outfit, which installed Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut as its leader.

However, 44 of the MPs who moved from the MFP to the PP, could face a life ban as they are now the subject of a probe by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders into whether they adhered to the code of ethics regarding their stance on the lèse majesté law.

According to a political observer, what stands between Mr Pita and his quest for another bid for the premiership is the outcome of the Supreme Court trial. An unfavourable ruling would increase Mr Pita’s ban from 10 years to life.

Mr Pita was a heartbeat away from becoming prime minister after the MFP took the country by storm in the 2023 general election by winning 150 of the 500 seats at stake.