Caretaker Dep PM Clarifies That House Speaker Vote Must Take Place No Later Than Jul 13

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, widely known as the government's legal czar, said that the House Speaker vote must be held no more than 10 days after the opening of the new parliamentary session on July 3.

• The official added that if there are more than two candidates, voting may take more than one day. Wissanu does not expect the outgoing ruling coalition to be able to fill the position, as the MFP-led bloc commands a comfortable majority.
• Meanwhile, Wissanu noted that there is no set deadline for the PM vote and it could take one day, two weeks or longer. In case of a deadlock, the Speaker may call for a vote for another candidate, but cannot personally nominate anyone.
• Election frontrunner MFP and runner-up Pheu Thai are yet to resolve their dispute over who should pick the next House Speaker, with local press reports suggesting that both have offered to trade one ministerial portfolio for the House Speaker position.
• There is a considerable amount of noise in press reports surrounding the House Speaker issue, which may reflect the nature of last-minute backdoor horse-trading involved in such processes.
• Persistent political uncertainty continues to weigh on the baht, with spot USD/THB last seen at 35.638, after rising as high as to 35.698, a new cyclical peak. By contrast, the SET Index got some reprieve today, snapping a seven-day losing streak.