Bangkok: Parliament is preparing to debate the 400 billion baht loan decree on August 26. The government has given the opposition a full 8 hours to scrutinize the bill, while the Cabinet will have 2 hours to provide explanations. Meanwhile, Koravee has scheduled a meeting with government whips to discuss the matter before the vote on August 24.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Koravee Prisnanantakul, MP for Ang Thong Province and Chairman of the Government Whip from the Bhumjaithai Party, revealed the progress regarding the opening of the second ordinary session of Parliament for 2026, starting from August 25th onwards. He stated that on August 26th, the House of Representatives will consider the Emergency Decree authorizing the Ministry of Finance to borrow 400 billion baht by the government in 2026 to address the impact of the energy crisis and facilitate the country's energy transition, in order to cope with the economic crisis resulting from the Middle East conflict.
Mr. Koravee confirmed that initial discussions had been held with the opposition whip, who agreed to focus on the opposition's performance. Therefore, they fully supported the opposition's work by allocating 8 hours for the debate, 3 hours for government coalition MPs, and 1-2 hours for cabinet ministers to provide explanations. This will allow the opposition and cabinet to ask questions and provide full clarification before the vote takes place later that evening (August 26). The deliberation is expected to begin at 9:00 AM and the vote is anticipated to be held around 9:00 PM.
Regarding the vote in the House of Representatives, and whether the government remains confident in its decision, Mr. Koravee stated that a meeting of the government's whips will be held on Monday, August 24th, to discuss, clarify, and ensure a common understanding. He explained that, initially, 200,000 million baht of the 400 billion baht loan has already been used in the first phase, leaving another 200,000 million baht for the transition to clean energy.