Thailand Selects Anutin Charnvirakul as New Prime Minister Amid Political Turmoil
BANGKOK – Thailand has a new prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the conservative Bhumjaithai party, following a parliamentary vote on Tuesday. His selection comes after the previous nominee, Chaikasem Nitisiri of the Pheu Thai party, failed to secure a majority in the National Assembly. The shift in leadership occurs against a backdrop of political instability,including the recent departure of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and ongoing calls for constitutional reform.
The appointment of Charnvirakul, 58, marks a notable moment for Thailand, a nation grappling with decades of political upheaval and military intervention. His victory was secured with the support of the People’s Party, a group advocating for amendments to the Constitution to foster a more democratic Thailand. This outcome signals a potential turning point for the country, as Charnvirakul has pledged to dissolve the National Assembly and call for new elections.
Charnvirakul previously served in the goverment led by the deposed Prime Minister paetongtarn Shinawatra, resigning after details of a conversation between her and her late father became public. Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai party had nominated the 77-year-old former Justice Minister Nitisiri for the premiership, but he did not garner sufficient support.
The political landscape was further complex by the unexpected departure of Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn’s father, from Thailand on thursday. Thaksin, a former prime minister himself, was ousted in a 2006 military coup and later sentenced to two years in prison for corruption in 2008, a sentence he avoided by leaving the country.
After years in self-imposed exile, Thaksin returned to Thailand in 2023 and was subsequently sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of corruption and abuse of power.A hearing scheduled for next week will determine whether he will be required to serve his sentence.
