Lawmakers gather at the Parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, July 19, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

BANGKOK - Thailand's parliament said on Thursday that the upcoming vote to select a new prime minister would be postponed due to a pending court decision regarding the rejected renomination of Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat.

National Assembly President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said the parliament postponed the vote scheduled for Friday as the Constitutional Court had not yet decided on the complaints over the prime ministerial vote and the Ombudsman Office's request to postpone the selection.

The Constitutional Court said on Thursday that it had rescheduled the consideration of the Ombudsman's petition for Aug 16, as they required more time to study the matter

However, the joint sitting of the bicameral parliament will convene on Friday to consider the petition put forth by the MFP members to amend Section 272 of the Thai constitution, aiming to exclude senators from taking part in prime minister selection, he said.

Under Section 272 of the Thai constitution, a prime ministerial candidate requires the approval of more than half of the bicameral parliament, which empowers the 250-member Senate to jointly elect the prime minister with the 500-member House of Representatives.

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The Constitutional Court said on Thursday that it had rescheduled the consideration of the Ombudsman's petition for Aug 16, as they required more time to study the matter. The court said in a statement that further information was needed for careful consideration of the complaints.

Last month, the state Ombudsman's Office had requested the Constitutional Court to review the joint parliamentary sitting's vote on July 19, which had rejected Pita's renomination as the new prime minister.

The MFP emerged as the largest party in the lower house of the National Assembly during the May election. It has since formed a coalition with the Pheu Thai Party, the second-biggest party, and other smaller parties to support Pita for the premiership.

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However, Pita failed to secure the necessary support in the previous two bicameral sittings of the Thai parliament, leading to the MFP's decision last month to step aside and allow the Pheu Thai Party to lead in forming a new government.