15 hours ago
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Tycoon-turned-politician Anutin Charnvirakul appears to have taken the lead in a chaotic race to become Thailand’s next prime minister, after days of tense negotiations.
Anutin, who is leader of the conservative Bhumjaithai party and perhaps best known for championing medical cannabis legalisation, has received the backing of MPs from the main opposition party People’s party to form an interim government, provided he signs an agreement laid out by its leaders.
The People’s party said its lawmakers would supply the votes needed for Anutin to become prime minister, as long as he agrees to dissolve parliament within four months and commits to changing Thailand’s constitution, possibly through holding a referendum – a step the People’s party hopes will make the country’s system more democratic. The People’s party will not join his government.
The Bhumjaithai party is due to hold a press conference later on Wednesday morning.
Thailand’s politics was thrown into chaos last week when the constitutional court removed former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office, saying she had violated ethical rules during her handling of a border dispute. Paetongtarn, the daughter of the billionaire former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, had been in office for only a year.
Thailand’s constitutional court has frequently intervened in politics, dissolving popular parties and banning leaders.
Separately on Wednesday, Pheu Thai, the party of the embattled Shinawatras, told local media it had submitted a request to the king for parliament to be dissolved, paving the way for elections. However, it was unclear whether lawmakers in the current caretaker government have the authority to do so, or how quickly this could happen.
A vote for a new prime minister could be held in parliament as early as Friday.
The People’s party has emerged as kingmaker in the recent negotiations, and both Bhumjaithai and the Pheu Thai party had raced to secure its support.
The People’s party has played a deciding role in which party can form a government, because it has the largest number of seats in parliament, 143, having won the most votes at the last election in 2023. It cannot attempt to lead a government itself because its prime ministerial candidate was banned from politics in a court ruling last year.
The court also dissolved the party’s previous iteration, known as Move Forward, over its promise to reform the country’s strict lese majesty law, under which criticism of the monarchy can lead to up to 15 years in prison.
The People’s party has little love for either Bhumjaithai, a conservative party that does not share its pro-reform ideals, or Pheu Thai, which was perceived as blocking it from taking power in the past.
People’s party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said: “Both of these parties have track records, as everyone knows, of not exercising their power in the interests of the people and the country’s benefit.” But he added that his party had prioritised finding a way to bring about a new election and changes to the constitution.
“I think everyone can see that this decision is not for our own popularity but it’s in the interest of finding a solution for the country.”
Anutin, a royalist conservative whose family is a major shareholder in one of Thailand’s biggest construction companies, served as minister of public health during the pandemic. Until recently his party was in a coalition government with Pheu Thai, though it withdrew from government during the crisis that erupted over Paetongtarn’s handling of the border dispute with Cambodia.
Wednesday’s announcement could prove a major blow to Thaksin, who has dominated Thai politics for decade but whose influence and popularity is now declining.
