Thailand's 2020 budget bill narrowly approved by MPs

Thailand's House of Representatives on Saturday voted to approve the 2020 budget bill by a very narrow margin.

While 250 MPs voted for the bill, 235 MPs abstained from voting. However, no legislator voted against the bill.

The vote took place following three days and nights of debating on the 3.2 trillion baht (about 105.43 billion USD) budget bill.

A 64-member budget committee consisting of MPs and others was set up to scrutinize the bill which is to be returned to the House in a third or final reading before it is forwarded to the Senate.

Just before the voting, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha reconfirmed that the budget bill, which incurs 469 billion baht (about 15.45 billion USD) in deficit, is designed in accordance with national strategies to reduce social disparity, improve the people's quality of life and upgrade the country's competitiveness, among other things.