Veteran leader named speaker of Thai Parliament

Veteran politician Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, leader of the Prachachart party, was named as the speaker of the newly elected Thai House of Representatives on Tuesday, after Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn inaugurated the opening of parliament on Monday.

As the only nominee for the post of House Speaker, 79-year-old Wan Noor's appointment is seen as another milestone for a coalition of parties that won the May 14 general election.

The appointment of Wan Noor, who had served in the administration led by Thaksin Shinawatra between 2002 and 2005, is widely believed as a compromise between Move Forward and Pheu Thai, the two biggest parties that have been in tussle over the House Speaker post, a significant role that can set the agenda for laws to be deliberated in parliament. Move Forward party won a stunning victory in the polls with 151 seats.

Led by 42-year-old former executive of Grab Thailand, a Southeast Asian multinational technological firm, Pita Limjaroenrat, Move Forward party gained overwhelming support from young voters in the election, in the capital Bangkok in particular. It has teamed up with the populist Pheu Thai party and forged a coalition alongside six smaller parties to form the next government.

Wan Noor told the press that he would strive to remain politically neutral. "I will conduct duties fairly with transparency in considering draft laws and petitions to improve the lives of all Thais," he said.

His first task after taking the post will be to convene a joint session of parliament to decide on the prime minister.

Although the eight parties had previously agreed to back Pita as Thailand's next prime minister, there are still uncertainties as that requires the vote of more than 376 members of the bicameral legislature.

Pita's coalition won 312 seats in the lower house — which is made up of 500 representatives — in the May election. He still needs to secure the support of 64 more lawmakers for a majority.

Pita and his party still face legal challenges as Pita has been accused of violating a constitutional ban on politicians holding shares in a media company.

According to Thai election law, a candidate is constitutionally barred from contesting an election if he or she owns stakes in a media company. The Election Commission has started a probe into the complaints and the report is yet to be released.

"If Pita does not receive the required 376 votes from the Senate and Parliament, MFP (Move Forward Party) will have to serve as an opposition party and wait for the next general election. Whenever that may be, there is still hope for a landslide," said Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, dean of the College of Local Administration at Khon Kaen University.

He said the Move Forward Party is riding on the wave of younger generations, whereas Pheu Thai is on a downward trend due to demographic attrition of the older generations. So, MFP might have a chance to achieve that landslide.

But if Pita fails to become prime minister, whether by falling short of the necessary votes or by being disqualified by the Election Commission, the situation would be "desirable" for Pheu Thai, Katsuyuki Takahashi, a professor at the College of ASEAN Community Studies in Thailand's Naresuan University, said in a recent interview with TIME.

He noted that Pheu Thai has three candidates.

Still, if Pita succeeds in becoming the prime minister, he may find it difficult to transform the country and bring real change as the party promised to the voters, Peerasit said.

"First, Thailand has been ruled for a long term by a conservative establishment, which has a strong interest in ruling and the whole apparatus of moving the country is under the control of the bureaucracy," he said.

"Second, many underlying problems have plagued the country for long. And many people do not feel the need for a change. In this case, Pita will fight a protracted war by himself without the bureaucrats' support," Peerasit added.