Wan Noor’s appointment is seen as a compromise between Move Forward and Pheu Thai, who have been at odds over the crucial post.
Thailand’s parliament has confirmed veteran politician Wan Muhamad Noor Matha of the Prachachart Party as Speaker of the newly elected House of Representatives.
Wan Noor’s appointment on Tuesday was seen as a compromise between the two largest parties and coalition partners Move Forward and Pheu Thai, who have been at odds over the crucial post.
Wan Noor’s was the only name proposed for the position.
As the only nomination, no vote was required to endorse the 79-year-old politician.
The compromise on the speaker of the house could help ease some tensions between the progressive Move Forward and the populist Pheu Thai parties, which had been battling for the presidency for weeks.
Both parties had defeated their conservative and pro-military rivals in the May 14 poll, with Move Forward winning 151 seats and Pheu Thai 141.
The result was a resounding rejection of nine years of government led or supported by the military.
Move Forward and Pheu Thai have formed an alliance with six other parties, including Wan Noor’s Prachachart Party, which has 10 seats in the lower house.
The speaker position was sought after because the incumbent can influence the passage of key legislation and the timing of votes.
After his appointment, Wan Noor, who was Speaker of the House from 1996 to 2000, said he would strive to remain politically neutral.
“I will discharge my duties fairly … with transparency in considering bills and petitions to improve the lives of all Thais,” he said.
Once Wan Noor takes office, among his first tasks will be to bring a joint session of parliament to decide on a prime minister, which requires the votes of more than half of the 750 members of the bicameral legislature.
The alliance is backing Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, 42, to become prime minister. Pita needs 376 votes to secure the position, but currently has 312.
He will need 64 more votes from rival parties or members of the conservative learning Senate who was appointed by the military and has previously been at loggerheads with Move Forward on some of its policies.
Pita said last week that he had won enough support in the Senate.
Aside from Move Forward’s problems with the Senate, there are also serious fears that Pita and his party will be blocked by legal challenges, a fate that has brought down previous parties that took on the conservative establishment.
Several Pheu Thai-backed governments and a party that was Move Forward’s predecessor fell victim to rulings by the Electoral Commission and the National Anti-Corruption Commission, both nominally independent agencies often seen as favoring the ruling elite, along with the Constitutional Court.
Pita has been accused of violating a constitutional ban on politicians owning shares in a media company.
The media company is no longer operating, and Pita says the shares are part of his father’s estate and do not belong to him.
The prospect that he could be kicked out of politics and even jailed for a minor technical infraction has raised fears that Thailand could see a return to the political instability that has rocked the country since 2006, when the army. overthrew the government of then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
