Piyarat, an MP from the People's Party, revealed that the opposition has scheduled an informal meeting on 26 October to discuss the no-confidence debate framework. There is still no sign of a three-party whip meeting. He reiterated the request for 4+1 days totaling 60 hours of debate and urged the Prime Minister to manage his time effectively since the schedule has been known in advance.
25 Oct 2026 GMT+7 Piyarat Jathep Piyarat Jathep, a party-list Member of Parliament from the People's Party and coordinator of the opposition coalition whip in the House of Representatives, spoke about the progress in scheduling talks to set the debate timeframe. the no-confidence debate He said that the opposition whip has not yet officially scheduled any discussions, and even within the People's Party, there has been no internal talk on this matter. Today, the opposition parties will summarize their views, and on 26 October, they will hold another informal meeting.
Asked whether there has been coordination to arrange a three-party whip meeting, Piyarat said there has not. Usually, communication goes through the whip chair, who then informs the whip meeting, but so far, Prit Wachasindhu, party-list MP and deputy leader of the People's Party as opposition whip chair, has not announced such a meeting.
When asked about the likelihood of the debate taking place in November or December, Piyarat said legally it is possible, but looking at the content, he stressed the opposition’s clear demand for 60 hours alone. If the government's and speaker’s time is added, it totals 70-80 hours or more. Three days is impossible, so it would be only 4 or 5 days. Regarding which slot in November the debate might fall into, he said there must be some, probably 4+1 days. It depends on the Cabinet’s schedule. He believes government MPs and the House speaker will be available; only the Cabinet’s availability needs checking for 4 or 5 free days.
Asked about the Cabinet's repeated claims of limited free time and the Prime Minister’s foreign engagements, Piyarat said that usually no-confidence motions are not announced months in advance. Since the motion was submitted on 8 October, the government had at least a month to clear schedules. This is a critical matter under Section 151 of the Constitution requiring a vote, concerning the Prime Minister's status in Thailand.
In closing, Piyarat said, the Prime Minister should manage his schedule since he has known about the debate for months. The Prime Minister does not need to attend all 4 days in full; he can listen during the initial segments or when the debate concerns him. The debate timeline could be arranged to accommodate ministers’ schedules for convenience. ."