Pheu Thai has given up its bid to occupy the role of House Speaker, handing the position over to the Move Forward Party, several media outlets reported yesterday.
Prasert Chanruangthong, Secretary-General of the Pheu Thai Party, agreed with the principle that the party ranked first should take the House Speaker position, according to PPTV.
However, due to the narrow margin between the number of votes obtained by the parties ranked first and second, Prasert suggested that if the biggest party assumes the role of Speaker, both Deputy Speaker positions should be allocated to the second biggest party, namely Pheu Thai.
Prasert said that the parties must reach a resolution on the Speaker positions to proceed to the next step, which is the vote for the Prime Minister.
The Move Forward Party earlier said that the party needs the House Speaker position to ensure it will be able to advance all of the party's policies.
The two leading parties will announce their decision on the issue during a joint press conference on June 22, after another meeting of the 8-party coalition.
Prachatai English is an independent, non-profit news outlet committed to covering underreported issues in Thailand, especially about democratization and human rights, despite pressure from the authorities. Your support will ensure that we stay a professional media source and be able to meet the challenges and deliver in-depth reporting.
• Simple steps to support Prachatai English
1. Bank donation via the "Foundation for Community Educational Media (FCEM)", Krungthai Bank, account number 091-010-4328, Swift Code: KRTHTHBK
2. Or, Transfer money via Paypal, to e-mail address: [email protected], please leave a comment on the transaction as “For Prachatai English”