3-7-2023 (BANGKOK) The Move Forward Party (MFP) and the Pheu Thai Party have reached an agreement to nominate Wan Muhammad Nor Matha, the leader of the Prachachat Party, as the House speaker. The MFP and Pheu Thai will each have one deputy seat in the House.
MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat announced the decision at a press conference on Monday night, stating that both parties had agreed to select Mr. Wan Muhammad Nor as the House speaker on Tuesday. The MFP would occupy the first deputy House speaker seat, while Pheu Thai would hold the second deputy seat.
Pita Limjaroenrat mentioned that the other six coalition allies have expressed their support for this decision, including the Prachachat Party.
“The purpose of this agreement is to unite the eight political parties, who will make every effort to nominate me as the prime minister,” stated Mr. Pita.
He further added that the eight coalition allies would rally behind him as their sole candidate for the prime ministerial position.
Additionally, Mr. Pita revealed that the MFP and Pheu Thai would work on amending laws to grant pardons to individuals who have faced prosecution for expressing their political opinions. They also plan to reform laws relating to the armed forces, including those pertaining to martial law and internal security.
Phumtham Wechayachai, the deputy leader of Pheu Thai, explained that he proposed Wan Muhammad Nor as the House speaker because of his neutrality, and this proposal would allow the coalition allies to move forward with forming the government.
Cholnan Srikaew, the leader of Pheu Thai, stated that his party would not nominate any of its members to compete for the House speaker’s seat, and the other coalition parties would not have the right to nominate a member from Pheu Thai for the position.
Previously, the MFP actively promoted Phitsanulok MP Padipat Sunthiphada as their candidate for House speaker. The MFP and Pheu Thai were unable to reach an agreement on Sunday regarding the speaker’s post, amidst rumors that Pheu Thai wanted their veteran member Suchart Tancharoen to assume the position.
In recent days, Pheu Thai had insisted that they deserved the speaker’s seat because the MFP already held the prime minister’s position. Each party was initially assigned 14 cabinet ministers.
During Monday’s earlier discussions, Wan Muhammad Nor expressed his initial reluctance to assume the speaker’s position. However, he stated that if his appointment would ensure the formation of the coalition government, he would be willing to accept the role.
It is worth noting that Wan Muhammad Nor was previously a member of Pheu Thai from 2012 to 2018.
