Parties compromise over speaker

United we stand: Wan Noor (left) holding hands with Pita during a press conference in Bangkok. — Reuters

Lawmakers endorsed a veteran politician and leader of a small party as the new speaker of the lower house, signalling a detente in a row between the two biggest players as they seek to form a new coalition government.

The nomination of Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, 79, was widely seen as a compromise between alliance partners Move Forward and Pheu Thai, which have sparred for weeks over the speakership, a post crucial to the passage of Bills and the timing of key legislative votes.