3 days ago
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Anutin Charnvirakul, a staunch royalist, has been selected as Thailand’s next prime minister, after securing the backing of the majority of lawmakers in parliament.
The 58-year-old tycoon turned politician is considered a conservative, though he made a name for himself for leading a campaign to decriminalise cannabis. He was voted in after a chaotic scramble by parties to gain enough support to replace the ousted PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was removed from office by a court ruling.
Friday’s vote is the latest setback for Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn’s billionaire father and another former leader, who suddenly left the country by private jet the night before the vote, prompting a frenzy of speculation. He is due to appear in court on Tuesday, when judges will rule whether he has adequately served his sentence for previous convictions.
Thaksin said he had travelled to see a doctor in Dubai, where he spent much of his time in exile, and that he would return in time to attend court.
A week ago, Thailand’s constitutional court ousted Paetongtarn from office, saying she had violated ethical rules. That made her the fourth member of her family to be removed from office before reaching the end of her term. The ruling prompted a race between Pheu Thai and Anutin’s Bhumjaithai party to fill the position.
Anutin comes from a family that owns one of Thailand’s biggest construction companies, which built Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, as well as parliament itself.
He has served as deputy prime minister, interior minister and health minister, during which time he pushed through cannabis legalisation. The legal changes were criticised for being rushed through without adequate safeguards, leading to an explosion of dispensaries and recreational use across Thailand, though Anutin says the policy was always focused on medical use.
He secured enough votes after promising the pro-reform People’s party that, were it to lend its support, he would hold an election in four months, and commit to changing Thailand’s constitution, possibly through holding a referendum.
The People’s party, formerly the Move Forward party, has little in common with Bhumjaithai, a conservative royalist party, but has said it believes this arrangement is the quickest way to bring about an election, and reform Thailand’s system to make it more democratic. It will not join Anutin’s government.
Some of its supporters have questioned whether Anutin can be trusted to stick to his promises, however.
Before the vote he told reporters: “It’s normal to feel excited.”
He achieved a thumping victory over Chaikasem Nitisiri, 77, a veteran lawyer and the candidate put forward by Thaksin’s Pheu Thai.
The result adds to the problems facing Thaksin, whose popularity and political clout have faded since his return from 15 years in self-imposed exile in 2023.
He returned from exile after striking a controversial deal with his old enemies in the conservative establishment. The arrangement was seen by many as a betrayal of his supporters and has since fallen apart as his supporter base has dwindled and his legal troubles mounted.
In a post on X, Thaksin said he was in Dubai for a medical checkup and to see old friends. “I will be back in Thailand by September 8 to personally attend court on the 9th,” he said.
