If Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat fails to secure the votes required to become Thailand's next prime minister in the first House session set for next Thursday, then a second round of voting is likely to be held on July 19, said House speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha on Thursday.
As the constitution requires the 250-member Senate to vote for the next prime minister alongside the 500 MPs in the House, Mr Pita as the MFP's sole prime ministerial candidate, must garner at least 376 votes to secure the position.
Mr Wan said he had met with Senate speaker Pornpetch Wichitcholchai to discuss a suitable date for the second round of voting, in which they agreed it should be scheduled on July 19.
However, the House speaker noted the date has yet to be set in stone.
Deputy House speaker-elect, Pichet Chuamuangphan, meanwhile, said there should be enough time for the House to select the next prime minister as parliament is slated to convene on July 13, 19 and 20 to hash out the matter.
"I think the three days should be enough," said the Pheu Thai MP for Chiang Rai.
The coalition bloc, which comprises eight political parties that have thrown their weight behind Mr Pita's bid for the premiership, currently has 312 MPs in the House. The alliance needs the support of at least 64 senators to reach the minimum threshold for the House to endorse Mr Pita as the next PM.
He said three sessions were planned at this stage as it will be difficult to bring together all 750 members of the Lower and Upper Houses on a single day.
When asked if Pheu Thai would assume the lead of the coalition bloc if the three sessions failed to elect Mr Pita as the prime minister, Mr Pichet said that would depend on parliament and other coalition parties.
"Coalition parties will comply with the MoU [memorandum of understanding] they have signed. There will be internal discussions and that should go without a hitch," Mr Pichet said.
He also said that he was unsure how many senators would vote for Mr Pita at this stage.
Srettha Thavisin, one of Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidates, insisted Pheu Thai would definitely toe the MFP line when voting for the next prime minister.
He said he was optimistic that the first vote would run as smoothly as the election of the House speaker on July 4.
He declined to comment on whether or not Pheu Thai will grab the chance to push their candidates if Mr Pita fails to garner enough support to become the prime minister.
Mr Srettha said it was premature to talk about it.