Satit, Democrat MP, acknowledged that the reduction in no-confidence debate time affects the opposition's plans. He criticized Anutin, saying this is not a ritual and told him to take such acts to Bhumjaithai Party. He expressed confusion about Kla Tham's request to join and questioned in what capacity they would debate.
25 Oct 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Satit Wongnongtoey, party-list Member of Parliament and deputy leader of the Democrat Party, commented on progress regarding discussions over the allocation of time for the general debate to vote no confidence in individual ministers under Section 151 of the 2017 Constitution of Thailand. Initially, Mr. Sophon Saram, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, stated that if the time is reduced to four days, there will be about 48-50 hours available for debate. The opposition coalition is agreeable to this. The opposition coalition will hold a meeting at 1:00 pm on 28 October to determine how to divide the debate time.
Mr. Satit further stated that they remain committed to debating the no-confidence motion against all 18 ministers submitted earlier, with no withdrawal. The Democrat Party's leader, Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, already announced plans to debate about five ministers, preparing 8-9 speakers. Originally, the party requested a total of 10 hours. If the time is reduced from 60 to 50 hours, they will need to redistribute speaking time. He acknowledged that reducing debate time significantly impacts the opposition's strategy. The government does not consider this and expects the opposition to reduce time themselves, but those who have prepared materials find shortening their speaking time difficult.
"If we have to reduce speaking time further, what is the point of our oversight process? This is not a ritual. Especially when the Prime Minister says he might reduce the explanation time—that's a no. I want your explanations. This is not a ritual; rituals are for Bhumjaithai Party. This is the House of Representatives."
Asked about the Kla Tham Party, which insists it remains in opposition and wants time to express opinions in the House, with content direction free from coercion, Mr. Satit said, Originally, the opposition coalition had not allocated any debate time for Kla Tham because they did not co-sign the debate motion. However, during the tripartite whip meeting, Kla Tham requested two hours. At that time, the assumption was still 60 hours total, so everyone was confused as the time allocation was not finalized.
He inquired with officials whether Kla Tham could debate and in what capacity. Officials said they could debate but only in support of the motion—that is, to debate no confidence in the government and ministers. Anyone of the 18 ministers could be discussed, but if they intended to support the government, it would be against the motion.
"Kla Tham must discuss this within the opposition whip committee. I wonder in what capacity they will debate. Everything must follow the rules. This is not a motion about oil, or the three southern provinces, or crops, or flood relief, where anyone can debate. This is a no-confidence debate against the government. If you join, you must not trust the government or its 18 ministers. Other positions are not allowed. Personally, I think Kla Tham must have a new discussion in the joint committee meeting about where their allotted time would come from."