Thailand's House of Representatives elected a new speaker on Sunday, the first official step in the process of forming a new government. Following that, the vote for the new prime minister is estimated to take place within a week.

The process began Sunday morning with all 499 members of the House of Representatives who have been certified by the Election Commission taking the oath under Section 115 of the Constitution, affirming that they will perform their duties with honesty and integrity.

Sophon Saram, Member of Parliament for Buri Ram Province from the Bhumjaithai Party, was elected as the new speaker of the House with 289 votes. His rival, Parit Wacharasindhu, a party-list Member of Parliament from the People's Party, received 123 votes.

Both candidates presented their visions before an anonymous ballot vote. There were 80 abstentions and five invalid ballots.

In this year's general election, the Bhumjaithai Party won 191 seats in the 27th House of Representatives. The Party leader, Anutin Charnvirakul, confirmed Thursday that the ruling coalition had effectively been finalized at around 291 seats.

Anutin said the alliance, including Pheu Thai and nine smaller parties, had sufficient seats to manage both legislative work and national administration.

The secret ballot election for the house speakers is considered a crucial test of the new governing coalition's unity and stability. The new speaker's primary role will be to control parliamentary proceedings and convene the final vote for the prime minister, which is widely estimated to be held on March 19.