Supporters of the Move Forward Party hold a portrait of Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Move Forward Party, during a protest in Bangkok, Thailand, July 29, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

BANGKOK - Thai lawmakers will vote for a new premier next week, the house speaker said on Wednesday, after a court rejected a bid by election winner Move Forward to challenge parliament's blocking of its candidate.

The Constitutional Court dismissed the petition by allies of the party on a technicality, arguing its prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjareonrat, who was twice thwarted by parliament, was not among the complainants.

Thailand has been under a caretaker administration since March and parliament has been deadlocked for weeks over the formation of the next government

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Thailand has been under a caretaker administration since March and parliament has been deadlocked for weeks over the formation of the next government.

The court's rejection was the latest in a succession of blows for Move Forward. Pita said the party would not give up its fight to govern.

"The problem is at parliament, so we will fix it in parliament," Pita said.

The Pheu Thai party, which was a close second in the election, withdrew its backing for Move Forward after Pita's re-nomination was rejected.

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Pheu Thai, the populist electoral juggernaut of the billionaire Shinawatra family, is lobbying aggressively for support for its candidate, real estate tycoon Srettha Thavisin.

"Whether the choosing of the prime minister will be completed on the day is up to the session," house speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha told reporters in announcing the Aug 22 vote on the premiership.

Pheu Thai Party's prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin waves as he leaves after a press conference at Pheu Thai headquarter in Bangkok, Thailand, May 14, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

Senior Pheu Thai officials have said they are confident Srettha will prevail even without the support of Move Forward, the biggest party in parliament.