BANGKOK (Realist English). Veteran Thai politician Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, has been elected Thailand’s next prime minister after winning a parliamentary vote on Friday.
According to an unofficial tally broadcast live, Anutin secured 311 votes — well above the 247 needed for a majority in the 492-member House of Representatives. He is expected to formally take office within days following royal endorsement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
The 58-year-old succeeds Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was dismissed by the Constitutional Court last week after being found guilty of ethics violations stemming from a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen — a controversy that escalated into a brief but deadly border conflict in July.
Anutin, best known for championing cannabis decriminalisation and his role as health minister during the Covid-19 pandemic, had previously served in Paetongtarn’s Cabinet before withdrawing his party from her fragile coalition amid the uproar over the call.
His victory was secured through a pact with the opposition People’s Party, which agreed to back him on the condition that parliament is dissolved within four months and a referendum is held on drafting a new, more democratic constitution. However, the People’s Party has said it will remain in opposition, leaving Anutin’s incoming government potentially vulnerable.
The vote underscores Thailand’s ongoing political volatility: five prime ministers have been removed by the judiciary in the past 17 years. Paetongtarn’s removal followed that of real estate executive Srettha Thavisin, who was dismissed last year by court order, and comes amid ongoing struggles to balance royalist, conservative and reformist forces.
Anutin’s win marks another blow to the once-dominant Pheu Thai Party, long associated with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin himself abruptly departed Thailand for Dubai a day before the vote, reviving speculation about a possible renewed exile as he faces legal proceedings at home.