Nattapong stated he was disappointed but not surprised as the Constitutional Court ruled the 400 billion baht loan decree constitutional. He affirmed the party will continue detailed examination through the special budget committee, having found many embedded projects in the decree.
At 12:00 noon on 9 Jul 2026 at the parliament, Mr. Nattapong Ruangpanyawut, leader of the People's Party, and Ms. Sirikanya Tansakul, deputy leader, spoke after the Constitutional Court ruled the 400 billion baht loan decree constitutional. He said they were disappointed but not surprised by the ruling. The People's Party had consistently communicated that the government had no urgent need to use special powers to issue this loan decree. The decree was unnecessary and appeared to force through various projects that could be included in the annual budget. The clearest sign now is that the special budget committee for 2027 is reviewing this matter, and this morning, local government agencies seeking to use the 400 billion baht loan explained to the committee how the project approval process would work.
For example, projects proposed include building solar panel sports courts or electric garbage trucks. Many such projects could be funded within the annual budget and did not require the special procedures of this loan decree. This observation confirms what we have always said: the government’s projects do not fit the criteria for this loan decree. According to Article 172 of the constitution, if parliament is not in session, the government must urgently convene a special cabinet meeting for parliament to promptly approve or reject the decree. We must now wait for the government’s clear next steps.
.
Mr. Nattapong emphasized that all actions must proceed according to constitutional mechanisms. Whether to convene a special session is the cabinet’s responsibility. The People's Party has already expressed disagreement with the Constitutional Court's ruling, which was not unexpected based on their prior expectations.
Ms. Sirikanya Tansakul said they had been monitoring for government signals ahead of the ruling. She noted that the 200 billion baht worth of projects related to energy had not yet gone through the screening committee. However, over the past one to two weeks, statements from the Minister of Interior and the Deputy Minister of Transport referenced projects seeking funding. In addition, documents obtained by the People's Party circulated among local government organizations showed not projects approved by local governments but catalogs or lists of items and projects potentially requesting funds from the 400 billion baht loan. Many projects did not clearly support a genuine clean energy transition. She raised concerns that some projects might be pre-arranged with companies to receive contracts or procurements, such as budgets for electric vehicle waste, sports courts, solar-powered oxygen generators, and rooftop solar installations. There is worry that the latter 200 billion baht portion of the loan decree is being used to embed projects under the guise of public hardship, but actually for private benefit.
Ms. Sirikanya also emphasized that the People's Party will use the special budget committee mechanism to scrutinize whether projects overlap with those in the loan decree. Many projects request funding that duplicates the 2027 budget projects. While they cannot interfere with the 200 billion baht loan decree budget unless voting to reject the entire decree, they can cut overlapping amounts from the 2027 budget. For example, if 12 billion baht in the 2027 budget duplicates the loan decree's 200 billion baht, they can reduce that amount from the annual budget.