Speaker of Thailand's House of Representatives, Sophon, stated on the 16th that the Thai Lower House will convene a session on March 19th to vote for the new Prime Minister.
Sophon made this announcement after he and the two Deputy Speakers received the royal endorsement from the King of Thailand.
In the first session of the Thai Lower House held on the 15th, Sophon from the Bhumjaithai Party was elected the new Speaker, defeating the People's Party candidate Bari with 289 votes. The meeting then elected Deputy Speakers: Marika, a Bhumjaithai Party MP, was elected First Deputy Speaker, and Lesha, a Pheu Thai Party MP, was elected Second Deputy Speaker.
Sophon expressed that, given Thailand is facing multiple crises, he hopes to see a fully centralized government formed before the Songkran Festival.
According to the Thai Constitution, candidates must secure a simple majority vote in the Lower House to be elected as Prime Minister. Incumbent Prime Minister Anutin is expected to be successfully re-elected.
Under the leadership of Anutin, the Bhumjaithai Party stood out in the general election held on February 8th, winning the most seats and becoming the largest party in Parliament, though the seats attained are not sufficient for solo governance.
It is understood that the Bhumjaithai Party will form a coalition government with the Pheu Thai Party—the third largest party in Parliament—and several smaller parties. The governing coalition will control 291 out of the 500 seats in Parliament.
Anutin earlier stated that after receiving the royal endorsement for the appointments, he would proceed with the nomination of the new cabinet members. The new cabinet is expected to officially take office next month.