"Krawi," chairman of the government whip committee, revealed behind-the-scenes negotiations of the no-confidence debate, disclosing that the Cabinet extended the debate period from 3 days to 4 days, allocating 45–48 hours for opposition debate. He stressed that differing opinions on timing should not obstruct government scrutiny.
On 24 October 2026, Mr. Krawi Prisananantakul, MP for Ang Thong of the Bhumjaithai Party and chairman of the government whip committee, spoke about discussions on setting the date and timeframe for the no-confidence debate. He said that over the past week, as chairman, he tried to coordinate and negotiate with all parties to find suitable dates and timeframes for the debate and wanted to clearly record the facts about the discussions.
Mr. Krawi stated that the first round of talks made no progress because each side stuck to its own proposal. The Cabinet offered 27–29 October, a total of 3 days, while the opposition insisted on 5 days for debate. Since their timeframes differed, no agreement was reached.
For the second round of talks, after some discussion, the meeting chair suggested the Cabinet representatives return to consider extending the timeframe. The government then proposed increasing the debate from 3 to 4 days, from 26 to 29 October, allocating about 45–48 hours to the opposition. This offer came after the opposition had walked out of the talks.
However, the opposition insisted that if the debate occurs during the Cabinet's available dates, it must be for 5 days. They suggested postponing a 4-day debate to November, as they could not adjust their debate plans in time.
Mr. Krawi explained that this point caused the deadlock because the Cabinet had no continuous 5-day period available in November. The end of October is when ministers are most prepared to provide explanations. Yet, the opposition insisted on 5 days if held then, which the Cabinet could not accommodate. Thus, no joint agreement was reached.
He expressed regret that talks ended before reaching a joint conclusion. He believed the negotiation table should be a place where all parties bring reason together. If everyone remains fixed on their original positions, solutions are difficult. But if each side moves a step closer, an agreement could be possible.
Mr. Krawi added that the government's proposed 4-day timeframe totals 63 hours and 30 minutes, allocating 45–48 hours for opposition debate. Compared to no-confidence debates since 2019, this is the longest time allocated to the opposition. This offer was presented to allow the opposition to fully perform their oversight role and give ministers sufficient time to explain to the House.
With no resolution yet, the Speaker has not scheduled the motion for the agenda, leaving space for both sides to return to discussions for a mutual solution. Mr. Krawi said that at this point, arguing over who is right or wrong is unproductive; instead, the focus should be on how to move forward so the debate can proceed.
“I hope both the opposition and government will each make a concession to find suitable dates and timing. I will do my best, and I hope the no-confidence debate can be held during this session,” Mr. Krawi said.