BANGKOK, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Thai parliament will convene next week to elect the Southeast Asian country's next prime minister, House speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said Wednesday.
The announcement was made one day after Wan Noor was elected House speaker, a position that allows him to call a joint session of the bicameral parliament to elect a new prime minister.
The 750-member National Assembly, comprising 500 legislators in the lower house and 250 senators in the upper house, will convene for the vote next Thursday, Wan Noor told reporters.
Nominated candidates need a minimum of 376 votes from legislators in the House of Representatives and Senate combined to win a simple majority and become the prime minister.
A multi-party coalition led by the Move Forward Party and the Pheu Thai Party, which came first and second in the May election, is backing Move Forward Party's leader Pita Limjaroenrat as the new prime minister. ■
