No-confidence debate set for Dec 7-11

A three-party committee agreed on Wednesday to hold the no-confidence debate against the government from Dec 7-11, allocating 51 hours to the opposition, 17 hours to the cabinet and government, and four hours to the House speaker.

The schedule follows a "four-plus-one" format, with four days of debate followed by a vote on the fifth day. The total allocation is 72 hours.

The first three days will run for 19 hours each, starting at 8am and expected to continue until 3am the following day. The fourth day will run for 15 hours, from 8am to 11pm.

The committee meeting was chaired by Deputy House Speaker Mallika Jirapanvanich and attended by representatives of the cabinet, government and opposition, including Prime Minister's Office Minister Paradorn Prissananantakul, government chief whip Koravee Prissananantakul and opposition chief whip Parit Wacharasindhu.

The agreement came as People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut accused Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul of delaying the debate until December, arguing that it could still have been held in November if the House had sat over the weekend.

Two earlier rounds of talks failed to reach an agreement. The opposition initially demanded five days of debate, while the government proposed three. A four-day compromise was put forward, but opposition MPs walked out.

Speaking before Wednesday's committee meeting, Mr Natthaphong said Mr Anutin appeared to be the least prepared for the debate, noting that the prime minister had rarely attended parliamentary sessions to perform his duties.

The government had cited a packed November schedule, including overseas trips for the Asean and Apec summits, as a reason for postponing the debate.