POLITICS
MANOP THIP-OSOD & ANUCHA CHAROENPO
The cabinet decided yesterday to end the parliamentary special session on June 28 and rejected attempts by a group of senators to open a general debate on the government's performance. Deputy government spokesman Natthawut Saikua said the cabinet approved the royal decree to close the session.
It will be forwarded for royal endorsement.
The parliamentary special session was convened on June 9 to consider the budget bill for the next fiscal year and other organic laws.
Mr Natthawut said Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had also given instructions the Office of the Senate Secretariat be informed that cabinet ministers were not available to attend to the general debate proposed by a group of 61 senators for June 23. They were all busy preparing for the budget debate, which will begin on June 25.
The Democrat party also postponed submitting the censure motion originally planned for yesterday.
Chief opposition whip Sathit Wongnongtoey said the opposition will now lodge the censure motion with House Speaker Chai Chidchob today.
The speaker is then obliged by law to put it in the House agenda by next week.
Cabinet members are then required by the charter to clarify the opposition's questions in the censure motion.
The censure motion targets Mr Samak and six other cabinet members, all of them members of the governing People Power party.
Mr Sathit said the constitution prohibits the prime minister from dissolving the parliament once the censure motion is on the House agenda.
Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban said his party will submit its censure motion again if the current House session ends before the censure debate begins.
Resubmitting it would put it on the House agenda for future deliberation.Mr Chai said he was ready to put the Democrat's censure motion on the agenda in three days, but insisted the House must give priority to the budget bill debate.
The opposition's censure debate could begin after the parliament passes the budget bill, he said.
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