The Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties have agreed to nominate Prachachat party leader Wan Muhamad Noor Matha as the sole candidate for the House speakership, ending weeks of political wrangling over the position.

Newly-elected MPs will convene on Tuesday for the first time and the first item on the agenda is to elect the new House speaker, a position which has been a bone of contention between the two parties.

The first deputy House speaker will be an MP from the Move Forward party while the second will be from Pheu Thai, said Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat at a press conference this evening (Monday).

The six other coalition parties were informed of the decision and support the agreement, according to Pita. He said that all coalition parties will adhere to the MOU signed among them and give their “utmost support” to his bid to become prime minister.

With Wan Muhamad as the Speaker of the House and both parties holding deputy speaker positions, they will push legislation to grant amnesty to those charged with political offences and reform of the military, he said.

The resolution of the speakership issue “is part of consensus building and reflects the unity of the coalition parties,” said Pita, who also described it as “a critical step” on the path to him becoming the next prime minister.

Endorsing Wan Muhamad as House speaker is a concession by Move Forward, which had earlier insisted that it wanted its MP, Padipat Suntiphada, for the post.