The Election Commission has not decided whether to send the iTV shareholding case of prime ministerial candidate Pita Limcharoenrat to the Constitution Court, according to its chair.
EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong said after the commission's meeting on Monday evening that the commission only followed up progress from its fact-finding committee looking into the case of Mr Pita.
The EC earlier received complaints about Mr Pita's eligibility for political office regarding his past shareholding in iTV.
The commission was asked to forward the case to the Constitution Court which could rule on Mr Pita's eligibility for political office. If the court accepts the case, it can suspend Mr Pita from political roles pending its ruling.
The constitution prohibits a shareholder of a media organisation from running in a general election. Anyone who runs in a general election while knowing he is unqualified is liable to an imprisonment, fine and political ban. Mr Pita earlier said he had 42,000 shares in iTV only in his capacity as the executor of his late father's estate.
Mr Pita is the leader and prime ministerial candidate of the election-winning Move Forward Party. MFP and its seven coalition allies agreed to nominate him as prime minister for the House and the Senate to vote upon on Thursday.
The eight coalition allies had 312 votes in the House and needed at least 64 votes in his favour from senators to secure Mr Pita's premiership.
The constitution allows 250 senators to join 500 House representatives in voting for a prime ministerial candidate. A prime minister needs support from the majority of the two houses or at least 376 votes from their joint sitting.
On Monday Mr Pita wrote to the EC to ask it to listen to his defence on the iTV shareholding controversy.
In a TV programme interview on Monday Mr Pita refused to reveal the number of senators who would vote for him. He said negotiations with senators were making good progress.
As some senators disagreed with his party's policy to amend the lese majeste law, Mr Pita said his party only intended to prevent any abuse of the law.
Some senators also said they could abstain in the prime ministerial vote due to the questioned qualification of Mr Pita in running in the general election.
Mr Pita declined to comment on a possible solution in case he fails to gather enough votes for his premiership from the House and the Senate.
The Move Forward Party leader on Sunday said he hoped the House and the Senate would vote in line with the people's choice in the May 14 general election.
