Opposition submits to House Speaker to send 200-billion-baht loan freeze to Constitutional Court, citing violation of Constitution

On May 11, 2025, at Parliament, opposition leaders including Nattapong Rueangpanyawuthi (Pheu Thai) and Korn Chatikavanich (Democrat Party) submitted a petition to House Speaker Sophon Saramuli requesting the Constitutional Court review a 400-billion-baht emergency decree, arguing that 200 billion baht for energy restructuring was illegally included and violates Article 172 of the Constitution regarding urgent necessity.

Nattapong stated that the opposition is using constitutional rights under Article 173 to challenge the decree, claiming the energy restructuring component is not economically critical and lacks genuine urgency, but was bundled with emergency relief funds. The opposition contends that energy restructuring could be handled through annual budget appropriations or specific relief measures under existing revenue laws, not through an emergency decree.

Korn added that while the Constitution allows borrowing during economic crises, the opposition must verify whether this truly meets legal urgency criteria, comparing it to past emergencies like the Asian financial crisis, hamburger crisis, and COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that the decree has already been published in the Royal Gazette and is in effect, but the opposition's petition asks the court to rule on whether funds already spent would need to be returned if the decree is deemed unconstitutional.

The opposition emphasized their petition was carefully drafted to request a temporary suspension order freezing only the 200-billion-baht portion deemed non-urgent, with case-by-case judicial review. Nattapong warned that previous Constitutional Court rulings have sometimes overstepped executive authority, and the opposition plans to propose establishing an ad hoc committee to further investigate.