Thai parliament to convene as Move Forward looks to have a prime minister

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn was due to inaugurate the opening of parliament on Monday, setting the stage for an attempt by the progressive Move Forward Party to form a government after its surprise election win six weeks ago.
Move Forward won big support from youth voters and the capital Bangkok, campaigning overwhelmingly on social media on an anti-establishment platform that could complicate its effort to win enough support to form a coalition government.
It will team up in parliament with the populist heavyweight Pheu Thai Party after the two won the lion’s share of the house seats, trouncing parties allied with a royalist military that has controlled government since a 2014 coup.
But underscoring the challenge ahead, just hours away from parliament convening, Pheu Thai and Move Forward were still at loggerheads over who gets the position of house speaker, a pivotal post that could determine the passage of flagship legislation and timing of key votes. They are part of an eight-party alliance and have played down talk of a rift over the speaker post, which must be decided in the coming days.
Once chosen, the speaker must table a joint session of parliament to decide on a prime minister, which requires the votes of more half of the 750 members of the bicameral legislature.