The opposition reshuffles its ranks as "Ice Cream" reveals the removal of "Kla Tham" from the opposition whip after the party broke ranks by voting to approve the 2027 budget. Emphasizing the need to respect the mandate to scrutinize the government, a new whip list of five parties has been submitted to proceed with the no-confidence motion.
On 22 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Parit Wacharasindhu, party-list MP and deputy leader of the People’s Party, serving as chairman of the opposition whip, explained the removal of the Kla Tham Party from the opposition. He said it is important to understand that opposition parties do not operate like government coalition parties who agree to form a government together. The opposition consists of parties that, for various reasons, are not part of the government. Since assuming his role, he has emphasized that opposition parties must work with mutual respect, even if they differ in political positions, ideologies, or policies. The shared purpose of the opposition is to scrutinize the government to protect the public interest.
Parit continued that the recent incident occurred on 10 Sep 2026 GMT+7, when the Kla Tham Party decided to have its MPs vote in favor of the 2027 annual budget bill in its third reading. This contradicted the opposition whip’s collective agreement to reject the bill. This raised questions about Kla Tham’s status and commitment to government oversight, compounded by unclear stances regarding the upcoming no-confidence motion submission and vote.
Therefore, discussions were held with Kla Tham whip representatives, resulting in a mutual agreement to remove Kla Tham from the opposition whip. This ensures that the parliamentary mechanisms designed for the opposition are used by parties genuinely intending to serve as opposition. However, Kla Tham, which has over 50 MPs, retains rights in parliament unrelated to opposition duties, such as consultation quotas, addressing local issues, or general debate time. Parit will continue coordinating those aspects as usual.
The opposition whip chairman added that, operationally, a new opposition whip list has been submitted to the opposition leader for presentation to the parliamentary president. The new whip includes five parties: the People’s Party, Democrat Party, Thai Sang Thai Party (also known as Thai Phak Dee), Seri Ruam Thai Party, and the addition of Thai Ruam Palang Party. The latter has increasingly voted in line with the opposition, notably on the emergency loan decree and the 2027 budget bill, and has expressed the desire to serve in the opposition. The immediate priority is to move forward with submitting a no-confidence debate motion.
When asked if this would be seen as expelling Kla Tham, Parit affirmed that voting on the budget bill is a significant indicator of a party’s intent to perform opposition duties. Combined with Kla Tham’s unclear stance on the no-confidence debate, it is quite clear they do not wish to serve as opposition. The removal from the opposition whip was a mutual agreement between both sides.