BANGKOK, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Thailand is set to pick a House speaker and two deputy House speakers in secret fashion on Saturday, which will be followed by the voting of a prime minister next week.
House of Representatives Secretary General Sorasak Phianvej confirmed on Wednesday that MPs will cast votes in secret fashion for the House speaker and two deputy House speakers on Saturday, following Friday's state ceremony for the opening of the first parliamentary session.
Each MP will cast a secret vote by writing the name of a candidate for House speaker on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope with a sealed flap which will be dropped into a box for an ad hoc committee to count the votes, according to Sorasak.
Being the most senior lawmaker, the Bhumjaithai (proud Thais) Party's MP Chai Chidchob will act as a temporary House speaker during the time-consuming selection process for the House speaker, he said. The following selection for the deputy House speakers will be the same as that for the House speaker.
A Senate speaker and two deputy Senate speakers will be picked on Friday, hours after the state ceremony for the opening of the first parliamentary session has been finished.
However, no competition for the posts of Senate speaker and deputy Senate speakers is expected among all senators handpicked by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The 498 MPs and 250 senators will attend a joint parliamentary meeting to vote in open fashion for a post-election prime minister in the following week, the exact date of which is to be scheduled by the House speaker.
Each MP and senator will vote in open fashion by saying the name of a candidate for prime minister on a roll call basis which will take several hours.
