Row over House Speaker position continues
Today’s scheduled meeting between the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties to discuss who will get the House Speaker position has been indefinitely postponed following Pheu Thai’s announcement that it was determined to take the post.
The top two parties in the House with the most seats had previously selected Wednesday (June 28) to decide on the House Speaker issue.
However, Move Forward deputy spokesperson Pukkamon Nunarnan told reporters on Tuesday night that the meeting between the leaders of the two parties would be postponed.
The announcement came just hours after the Pheu Thai party on Tuesday insisted that its "14+1" formula, which denotes the party's desire to appoint one House Speaker and 14 ministry positions, be adhered to.
Suchart Tancharoen, an ex-member of the Palang Pracharath Party, and Chonlanan Srikaew, its leader, were considered two probable candidates for the speaker position of Pheu Thai.
Move Forward intends to place second-term MP Padipat Suntiphada as the next House Speaker.
It seems probable that the scheduled meeting of the eight-party coalition's leaders on Thursday will also be postponed.
The House Speaker is likely to be elected on next Tuesday - a day after the opening ceremony of Parliament.
