As the deadline for the election of the House speaker draws near, both the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties are reported to be considering a compromise, to settle what looks like a serious schism that could threaten their ongoing efforts to form a post-election coalition.

The election of the House speaker is expected to be held during the first House session which is set to take place by July 12.  But as things stand today (Thursday), the two parties seem far from resolving their differences. 

The Pheu Thai party has made it clear that it wants the House speakership as well as 14 cabinet seats, as part of the power-sharing formula with Move Forward and six other parties which would form the next administration.  

Move Forward, meanwhile, insists that, as the party has the highest number of MPs in the House, it entitled to the House speakership, plus 14 cabinet seats.

Sources in Pheu Thai have indicated that the party may consider settling for a trade-off, in which it would be given an additional cabinet seat, while Move Forward will get the House speakership, but they admit that the party’s bigwigs have yet to decide whether such a bargain would be acceptable. 

Meanwhile, sources in Move Forward told Thai PBS World that the party might be ready to compromise by sacrificing a cabinet seat in exchange for the House speakership.

The sources continue to insist that, as the party with the most MPs in the House, Move Forward is entitled to the House speakership. 

Their competing claims are believed to have forced the cancellation of a meeting the two parties had scheduled for Wednesday. The issue of House speaker is a litmus test of whether they can set up a coalition with Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat as prime minister.   

Sources in the two parties expressed confidence that their leaders would be able to hammer out a compromise, before they meet with the six other parties in the coalition on Sunday. 

If they cannot reach an agreement, however, the election of the House speaker will go to a vote in the House of Representatives, which political analysts believe Pheu Thai will win easily, but that path will seriously shake the unity of the Move Forward-led coalition.