Speaker Confirms PM Vote Will Take Place On Jul 13

Thailand's newly elected House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha told reporters that parliament will convene at 9:30am next Thursday (July 13) to vote on the Prime Minister.

• The PM will be elected by majority of lawmakers in the joint houses of parliament, which includes 250 military-appointed Senators. It remains unclear if the coalition led by the Move Forward Party (MFP) will have the number to install its leader Pita Limjaroenrat as Prime Minister.
• The coalition survived the first serious test as it managed to strike a deal on the House Speaker position after weeks of tug-of-war between election front-runners MFP and runners-up Pheu Thai. Furthermore, the Deputy Speaker proposed by the MFP received a number of votes which was equivalent to the number of coalition MPs, even as they voted by secret ballot.
• The Bangkok Post reports that Wan Noor recently said that if Pita does not receive enough votes, his nomination could be repeated a few times. The Speaker reportedly added that if repeated efforts fail, there must be an understanding about what should happen next. The coalition has so far insisted that there is no plan B in case Pita is not elected.