BANGKOK – Thailand’s Parliament is scheduled to sit next Friday to try again to pick a prime minister, as a political stalemate drags on following a national election in May.

Two previous attempts by the election-winning Move Forward Party to have its leader, Mr Pita Limjaroenrat, endorsed as premier have been blocked by conservative and military-nominated lawmakers.

The Pheu Thai party, which came in second in May and is part of an eight-party alliance with Move Forward, is expected to make the next bid for the prime ministership.

Voters in Thailand propelled Move Forward to a surprise election victory over military-backed rivals who have dominated the country’s politics for most of the last decade.

But the military-nominated Senate and opponents from the conservative, royalist establishment have pushed back against Mr Pita, stalling his attempts to become prime minister.

A parliamentary document outlining its agenda for next Friday said the House would “consider and endorse a suitable individual to become prime minister”.

However, the vote could be delayed because of a pending court review of a previous decision, House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha told reporters in Parliament before the agenda was released.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court is due to review next Thursday a petition over a decision earlier in July to block Mr Pita’s candidacy for the top job.

If the court accepts the petition, the following day’s parliamentary vote would be postponed, Mr Wan Noor said. REUTERS