Budget puts govt on edge

As a special session to deliberate the second and third readings of the 3.78-trillion-baht fiscal 2026 Budget Bill gets under way, the Pheu Thai Party and its coalition partners can do little but keep their fingers crossed.

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By political tradition, the government must resign if the bill is voted down.

The House Speaker called for the second and third readings of the bill starting today, following a committee's review, which proposed cuts totalling 8.92 billion baht.

Voting is expected tomorrow, which will be the final day of deliberations.

The government is well aware of its vulnerability, given its razor-thin majority after the departure of Bhumjaithai last month.

Before the split, the coalition had 325 MPs, compared to the current 256 — just 15-20 more than the opposition.

This has been a major challenge for the embattled coalition since the House reconvened over a month ago.