The constitution stated clearly that MPs lost their status when convicted of a criminal offence. Therefore, Nawat’s tenure as an MP was automatically voided, even though the appeal process was not finalised, Mr Wissanu said.
The Election Commission would schedule a by-election for his seat, the deputy prime minister said.
Mr Wissanu said the number of list MPs for political parties would not be recalculated because the case did not concern electoral fraud.
The Khon Kaen Provincial Court yesterday sentenced Nawat, Khon Kaen Constituency 7 MP of the opposition-core Pheu Thai Party, to death for masterminding the murder of an assistant chief of the Khon Kaen Provincial Administration Arganisation (PAO, or OrBorJor) in 2013.
The court denied his bail request.
An appeal is automatic in the case of a death sentence.
Parliament President Chuan Leekpai said today that he had asked parliamentary legal officials to clarify whether Nawat should lose his MP status right away.
Mr Chuan said opinions were split on the issue. The constitution drafters were of the view Nawat had already lost his seat, but some people disagreed.
Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, the Pheu Thai chief strategist, said today that the party would let the law govern the Nawat case.
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