Ruangkrai, a Palang Pracharath Party candidate for MP, filed a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) to review the candidacy of Tae Phiphop from the Prachachon Party replacing Boonrit, who resigned after being arrested. He raised concerns that it might be unlawful due to the absence of a signature.
At 10:00 a.m. on 5 Jan 2026, at the Election Commission office, Mr. Ruangkrai Leekitwattana a candidate for Member of Parliament (MP) for Bangkok’s 4th electoral district from the Palang Pracharath Party, came to file a petition with the Election Commission (EC) requesting an investigation and ruling on whether the candidacy of Mr. Tae Phiphop Limjitrakorn who replaced Mr. Boonrit Reraroongroj, a suspect in a drug money laundering case, complies with the Political Parties Act B.E. 2560 (2017). Upon reviewing Boonrit’s resignation from the Prachachon Party, the resignation letter, as shown in media images, lacked a signature and receipt number as required by Section 50 of the Political Parties Act B.E. 2560 (2017).
Ruangkrai said he does not object to the replacement of the Prachachon Party’s MP candidate for Bangkok’s 33rd district if it was done legally and properly. However, after following news reports and relevant procedures and laws, he noted that Boonrit was assigned candidate number 11 on 27 Dec 2025, was arrested on 29 Dec 2025, and resigned from the party the same day, with the new candidate Tae Phiphop selected unusually quickly.
He added that on the day Boonrit was taken into police custody, there was no news about anyone visiting him. Yet, a resignation letter appeared on the EC website the same day, without a signature. This raises doubts whether the resignation was valid under Section 27 of the Political Parties Act B.E. 2560 (2017). If the resignation process was incomplete or improper, Boonrit might not legally be disqualified under election law.
Ruangkrai also stated that checking the EC website revealed no similar rulings or court judgments to set a precedent. Therefore, he submitted the petition for the EC to make a ruling and urged the Prachachon Party to publicly disclose the process of replacing the MP candidate so the public can verify whether it complied fully with the relevant laws.