Constitutional Court Schedules Hearing on Ex-MP's Candidacy Revocation
Thailand's Constitutional Court will hear a case on November 25 to decide whether to revoke the candidacy of former Palang Pracharath MP Kongkiat Ketsombat. The Election Commission alleges he concealed a final theft conviction when registering as a candidate, making him ineligible under election law. The court has ordered written closing statements by November 18 before the final ruling.
The Constitutional Court has scheduled a decisive hearing for November 25 regarding the revocation of candidacy rights for 'Kongkiat,' a former Palang Pracharath Party MP, over alleged lack of qualifications despite his registration as a candidate.
On November 3, 2026, the Constitutional Court convened to consider a petition from the Election Commission (EC) requesting a ruling under Section 54(2) of the Organic Act on the Election of Members of the House of Representatives, 2018, to revoke the candidacy rights of Mr. Kongkiat Ketsombat, a former Palang Pracharath MP (the respondent).
The EC alleges that the respondent applied for candidacy while knowing he was ineligible, concealing or failing to disclose that he had a final conviction for a property offense committed through dishonest misappropriation (theft) under Section 335(1) of the Penal Code. The respondent has submitted a defense to the Constitutional Court.
After deliberation, the court determined there is sufficient evidence and testimony to adjudicate the case, thus ending the inquiry phase under Section 58(1) of the Organic Act on Constitutional Court Procedure. The court ordered both parties to submit written closing statements by November 18, 2026; failure to do so will be considered a waiver of the right to submit.
The court has defined the issues for adjudication and scheduled oral arguments, deliberation, and judgment reading for November 25 at 09:30, with the verdict to be delivered the same day at 14:00 in Courtroom 3, Floor 3, Constitutional Court, Government Complex.
