Opposition Removes Krathumthum Party After Budget Vote
The opposition bloc removed the Krathumthum Party after it voted to approve the 2570 fiscal budget against the opposition's stance, leaving five parties to file an imminent no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Anuthun Charnveerakul.
Pricha Wachirasinthsup, a Democrat Party list MP and deputy party leader serving as chair of the opposition coordination committee in parliament, posted on Facebook explaining that in a parliamentary system, opposition parties naturally operate under different standards and frameworks than government coalition parties. He noted that while government parties unite to form a government, opposition parties include those that have chosen not to join or were not invited to join the government. Opposition coordination has therefore been based on mutual understanding and respect, acknowledging that opposition parties may hold different positions, ideologies, or policy viewpoints. Pricha stressed that opposition parties should share one common purpose: to oversee the government and prevent it from acting improperly, thereby protecting public interest.
On September 10, the Krathumthum Party voted to have its MPs approve the 2570 fiscal budget bill, contradicting the opposition bloc's decision to either disapprove or abstain. This raised questions about the party's commitment to its oversight role, especially given ambiguity around its stance on an upcoming no-confidence debate.
As opposition committee chair, Pricha consulted with Krathumthum representatives and agreed to remove the party from the opposition bloc to ensure that parliamentary mechanisms designed for opposition oversight are used by parties genuinely committed to that function. However, given that Krathumthum has 58 elected MPs, Pricha said he will continue to coordinate with the party to protect their rights to participate in parliament through non-oversight mechanisms such as general debate time and constituency consultation quotas.
Pricha announced he will present a new opposition committee roster for leader approval and submission to the parliamentary speaker. The revised opposition coalition will comprise five parties: the Democrat Party, the Democratic Party, Thai Loyalty Party, Free Thai Party, and Thai United Power Party—which joined after consistently voting with the opposition on major issues like loan and budget bills. Pricha concluded that these five parties will work together to file a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Anuthun Charnveerakul as soon as possible.
