The petition regarding the 400 billion baht loan emergency decree is completed. The People’s Party is expected to submit it to parliament tomorrow, explaining why they did not use the Democrat Party’s draft. They are cautious to prevent the Constitutional Court from expanding its jurisdiction and urge the Prime Minister to enact the decree by using special shortcut procedures instead.
10 May 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Natthapong Ruangpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party, spoke about the progress of drafting a petition to the Constitutional Court regarding the interpretation of the Emergency Decree (E.D.) on borrowing 400 billion baht. He said the petition is now complete and he has reviewed it, but they are waiting for other opposition coalition parties who will co-sign to have a chance to review it as well. Initially, they plan to submit the petition to the Speaker of the House of Representatives by 11 May.
When asked how the People’s Party petition differs from that of the Democrat Party (DP), Mr. Natthapong said the main content is largely the same, because it must follow the constitutional channels stating that issuing this E.D. is not related to economic security and lacks urgent necessity, especially regarding the second loan plan using 200 billion baht for the country’s energy transition. The petition includes other supporting information such as the PDP plan and Thailand’s energy structure plan to demonstrate to the parliamentary speaker and the Constitutional Court that the state’s energy transition has been planned for several years and can be incorporated into the annual budget.
Since the government has seen the plan and, for the fiscal year 2027 budget, it has allowed for new budget requests and aims to complete consideration by 1 October before parliament convenes, the energy transition plan can realistically be included in the regular budget as usual. There is no reason to issue an E.D. This action may indicate the government is attempting to bypass normal channels, and instead use a project screening committee’s channel with possible intent to conceal matters. The People’s Party included these points in the petition for clarity.
When asked why the People’s Party did not use the Democrat Party’s draft, Mr. Natthapong replied that the details involve legal matters, so he did not want to elaborate much. The People’s Party has been careful to prevent the Constitutional Court from extending its jurisdiction.
They believe that if the petition is not tightly written, even if the court rules in favor of the petition by ending the E.D., the court’s reasoning might set binding precedents affecting future governments that need to issue E.D.s. This could cause problems, such as some judges opining that all dirt roads must be paved before building a high-speed railway, potentially overstepping the court’s authority over executive powers. Therefore, the People’s Party studied this aspect carefully and had their legal team ensure their petition is appropriately drafted.
. Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul said he would personally take responsibility, raising questions about whether the opposition can trust this. Mr. Natthapong responded that the best way to take responsibility is to allow parliament to transparently scrutinize every baht. He emphasized there is no need to enact an emergency decree, which acts as a special shortcut, akin to a blank check with no detailed information. Therefore, the Prime Minister’s claim of readiness to take responsibility and permit scrutiny should be matched by routing the 200 billion baht loan for the non-urgent energy transition project through the normal budget process instead.