Palang Pracharat list MP and former education minister Nataphol Teepsuwan has resigned from his parliamentary seat, citing the need to fight a legal case brought against him in court.
He said on Monday his resignation letter was dated May 29, which was his birthday.
He would be replaced by Yuthana Pothasuthon, the next candidate on the Palang Pracharat Party (PPRP) list, he added.
Mr Nataphol is a former member of the Democrat Party. He resigned from the party to join the street rallies of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) that led to the 2014 military coup, which ousted the Yingluck Shinawatra government.
After the coup he joined the PPRP and ran on the party list in the 2019 election, gaining a seat in parliament, and was appointed minister of education in the government of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha.
On Feb 24, 2021, the Criminal Court sentenced him to seven years and four months imprisonment for his part in the disruptive PDRC protests. As a result, he was disqualified from the education portfolio and suspended from duty in the parliament.
Mr Nataphol was released on bail after taking his case to the Appeal Court.
He said on Monday he decided to resign his MP's seat so he could concentrate on his legal battle, which he expected would take a long time.