Thai election winner and major ally reach agreement on House Speaker
Pita Limjaroenrat (left), leader of the Move Forward Party, shakes hands with Pheu Thai Party leader Chonlanan Srikaew at a press conference on Jul 3, 2023. (Photo: Move Forward Party)
BANGKOK: Thailand’s election winner Move Forward Party and the first-runner up Pheu Thai on Monday (Jul 3) agreed to nominate a senior member of their coalition as the next Speaker of the House of Representative.
The decision, made through a parliamentary vote, was announced in a joint press conference following the state opening of parliament in the evening, which was presided over by King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida.
“We will nominate Mr Wan Muhamad Noor Matha as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, with a member of parliament from the Move Forward Party as the First Deputy Speaker and a member of parliament from the Pheu Thai Party as the Second Deputy Speaker,” said Pita Limjaroenrat, the prime ministerial hopeful and leader of the Move Forward Party.
The 79-year-old House Speaker nominee is a veteran politician from Thailand’s southern border province Yala and leader of the Prachachat Party.
His political group joined Move Forward and Pheu Thai to form a coalition with five other allies after the general election on May 14, when Mr Pita’s party clinched an unexpected win with 151 seats in parliament.
Together, they have 312 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives. But for Mr Pita to become prime minister, he needs the approval of more than half of the 750-seat National Assembly, or at least 376 votes in either the House of Representatives alone or the Senate too.
According to Mr Pita, the agreement on the nominations was made to achieve unity among the eight coalition parties in the forming of the next government, with him as prime minister.
“The Move Forward Party and the Pheu Thai Party agreed to jointly support important laws for the people, which include an amnesty for cases of political expressions as well as amendments of laws that are related to the reform of the military,” he said.
The three candidates are ready to drive agendas that would bring transparency, checks and balances and effectiveness to the Thai parliamentary system, while ensuring it “belongs to the people”, he added.
The House Speaker position has been a point of disagreement between Move Forward and Pheu Thai over the past months as both parties set their sights on the top post of the legislative branch.
The Move Forward Party have said it needs the speakership of the House of Representatives to accelerate legislative procedures, while members of the Pheu Thai Party have argued the position does not have to come under Move Forward, even though it won a majority of seats in the Lower House.
“The Move Forward Party and the Pheu Thai Party firmly believe that the agreement on the House Speaker and deputy speakers at this time is a beginning of cooperation to form a government to manage the country in response to the people’s consensus, which was clearly expressed in the election on May 14, 2023,” Mr Pita said.
The nomination of Mr Wan Muhamad Noor Matha for the House Speaker position was initiated by Pheu Thai deputy party leader Phumtham Wechayachai, who believes the political veteran is a suitable choice that can be accepted by all sides.
“I informed him that if he is okay with the proposition, I will continue the process to discuss the matter,” said Mr Phumtham in the press conference.
“This is a mutual agreement by both sides and I think it will be a solution for us to move forward. The important thing isn’t just about selecting the House Speaker. It’s also important to join hands to make a democratic government progress and to fulfil the people’s expectations,” he added.
Mr Wan Muhamad Noor Matha used to head several ministries in previous governments. He also served as Speaker of the House of Representatives and president of the Parliament between 1996 and 2000.
