Thai parliament to vote on new prime minister on July 13

Pita’s bid to be prime minister also faces other challenges outside parliament.

Thailand's parliament will vote on whether to appoint progressive party leader Pita Limjaroenrat prime minister on July 13, the new House speaker announced Wednesday.

Mr. Pita's pro-democracy Move Forward Party netted the most seats at the May 14 election but there are no guarantees it will be able to form government or that he will lead the country.

MFP has cobbled together an eight-party alliance, which also includes election runners-up Pheu Thai, with a total of 312 seats but remains well short of the 376 votes needed across both houses of parliament to endorse Mr. Pita for the top job.

Veteran lawmaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, who was appointed as a compromise candidate to the all-powerful House speaker role on Tuesday, has scheduled a joint sitting of parliament on July 13 to choose a prime minister.

Asked what would happen if Mr. Pita doesn't have enough support, Wan Noor said: "The parliament will vote until we have a PM".

"If the vote does not meet 376, we will do further votes," he told reporters.

He would not be drawn on how many chances Mr. Pita would be given before alternative candidates are sought.