Thailand has chosen Anutin Charnvirakul as a new prime minister for the third time in two years, underscoring the turbulence that has defined its politics for nearly two decades.
On Friday, parliament elected Charnvirakul, leader of the conservative Bhumjaithai party, to replace Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the ruling Pheu Thai Party. Paetongtarn, of Thailand’s most powerful political dynasty, was dismissed last week by the Constitutional Court over an ethics scandal tied to her handling of a border dispute with Cambodia.
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Anutin, 58, secured a commanding victory in the legislature, winning 311 votes—well above the 247 required for a majority in the 492-member House of Representatives. His rival, Pheu Thai’s Chaikasem Nitisiri, received just 152 votes, with 27 abstentions. Crucially, Anutin’s bid was buoyed by the liberal People’s Party, the largest bloc in parliament, which lent its support in exchange for a commitment to hold fresh elections within four months.
The outcome represents another setback for the Shinawatra family, which has dominated Thai politics since 2001, when Paetongtarn’s father, Thaksin Shinawatra, became prime minister. Thaksin and his sister Yingluck were both ousted by military coups in 2006 and 2014. The Constitutional Court has now removed Paetongtarn, the fifth prime minister linked to the family to be dismissed by judicial ruling.
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The political drama extended beyond parliament. Hours before Friday’s vote, Thaksin left Thailand on a private jet bound for Dubai. He later said he was seeking medical treatment but pledged to return for a court hearing on September 9 that could send him back to prison.
Anutin’s ascent illustrates both his deal-making skills and the fragility of the coalition backing him. Bhumjaithai controls just 69 seats, making its survival dependent on alliances. While the party has traditionally aligned with conservative and pro-military forces, it broke with Pheu Thai after an embarrassing leaked call between Paetongtarn and Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen.
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The new alliance with the People’s Party is an uneasy one. The group, successor to last year’s reformist party that was dissolved by the courts, has a strong anti-establishment base and has clashed with Thailand’s staunchly royalist elite. Some of its leaders remain banned from politics, and several members have been convicted under Thailand’s strict lese-majeste laws. For many of its MPs, backing Anutin was preferable only to the alternative—restoring former coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha to office.
The agreement comes with strings attached. The People’s Party has pledged to support Anutin’s administration only long enough to see through an election and constitutional reforms. Beyond that, it will not commit to endorsing his legislative agenda.
Anutin, son of a wealthy construction magnate and himself a business tycoon, inherits a country once again in political flux. He is remembered as health minister for liberalising cannabis laws in 2022, and he is known to be an avid pilot with three private planes. Yet his new challenge is less about flying than about navigating Thailand through yet another political storm—one with little runway left before voters are called back to the polls.
