No-confidence dates remain unsettled after second walkout

Opposition whips walked out of a meeting with government whips in Parliament yesterday after the two sides failed to agree on dates for a no-confidence debate targeting 18 Cabinet members, including the prime minister.

It was the second time opposition whips had walked out of discussions over the timing of the censure debate.

Deputy House Speaker Mallika Jirapunvanit chaired yesterday’s meeting, but after an hour of heated discussion, the Democrat Party and People’s Party whips abruptly left.

Government whips proposed holding the censure debate from October 26 to 29, with a vote on October 30. Opposition whips, however, demanded five days for the debate and an additional day for the vote, with the entire process taking place in November.

After the meeting ended without an agreement, government chief whip Korrawee Prissananantakul told reporters he was disappointed by the outcome.

He said government whips had been prepared to compromise by agreeing to a four-day debate, despite the opposition’s demand for five days.

Korrawee said it would be difficult for all 18 Cabinet members to attend the debate for five consecutive days, as some ministers, including the prime minister, had overseas engagements.

He denied that the government was trying to block or delay the censure debate, saying it had been trying to find a solution. He added that the opposition should be prepared to proceed whenever the debate was scheduled, as it had initiated the process.

“We don’t know how to push this back any further … because the prime minister will travel abroad on October 30,” Korrawee said.

He added that whether another meeting would be held to settle the dates would depend on the opposition whips.

Main photo: Government chief whip Korrawee Prissananantakul