Thai parliament names veteran politician as new House Speaker

Thailand's new parliament named a new House Speaker as it began its first session today. This puts an end to weeks of tense negotiations between the two biggest parties of the Move Forward-led coalition, and takes the country one step closer to the formation of a new government. All three speaker positions were filled by parties of the Move Forward-led coalition. But the top job did not go to Move Forward or Pheu Thai -- it went to 79-year-old Wan Muhamad Noor Matha of the Prachachart Party. He was the consensus nominee of all the eight-party coalition and ran unopposed.