Top two coalition parties will seek to resolve issue on Wednesday, just days before parliament opens
The Pheu Thai Party aims to finalise its stance on the selection of the House speaker on Tuesday, a day ahead of a planned meeting with the coalition-leading Move Forward Party (MFP) to resolve the dispute.
Both parties want the position but they need to settle their differences before the opening of parliament on Monday, July 3. The date was confirmed by an announcement published on Saturday on the Royal Gazette website.
His Majesty the King will preside over the opening ceremony, according to the Secretariat of the House of Representatives. A day later, members of parliament will vote to choose the speaker of the House, who will also serve as the parliament president, and two deputies.
It had been reported earlier that Pheu Thai was open to letting Move Forward have the speaker’s position as long as the runner-up party was given both deputies’ posts. However, Pheu Thai later denied that any such accommodation had been reached.
Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai said on Saturday that party executives would meet on Tuesday afternoon to hear a briefing on the results of the May 14 election and the timeline for the opening of the House of Representatives. They will also finalise their decision for a speaker candidate.
The matter has been a key talking point among the eight-party coalition seeking to establish a government behind the Move Forward Party (MFP) and its prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat.
Party leader Cholnan Srikaew said on Thursday that he was paying heed to the wishes of party MPs-elect and members, most of whom believe Pheu Thai should have the speaker’s post.
Mr Phumtham declined to say whether the meeting on Tuesday would produce the name of a candidate. But he said a clear decision would be made by the time Pheu Thai and MFP members meet on Wednesday.
“While it will depend on how the discussion proceeds, I believe a direction that will be productive for the formation of a government will be found,” Mr Phumtham said.
Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, one of the co-founders of the Future Forward Party, the predecessor of the MFP, said Wednesday’s discussion would mark a critical juncture for the setting up of the next administration.
While not predicting the outcome of the meeting, Mr Piyabutr said that avoidance of conflict between the two parties would speed up the process.
Given that Move Forward won more than 14 million votes and Pheu Thai received nearly 11 million in the party-list balloting, it was the responsibility of both parties to ensure that the wishes of 25 million Thais were respected, he added.