Anutin Charnvirakul became Thailand’s prime minister Sunday after receiving a royal endorsement, two days after Parliament selected him following a court order that removed his predecessor.
Anutin, 58, accepted a letter of appointment in a ceremony at his Bhumjaithai party headquarters in Bangkok attended by senior members of parties expected to join his coalition. Dressed in white civil servants’ uniforms used at royal and state ceremonies, attendees stood as Anutin read an oath saying he would perform his duties “to my fullest capabilities, with honesty and virtue.” He told reporters his government would address urgent problems including the economy, the border conflict with Cambodia, natural disasters and crime, and reiterated a pledge to rewrite the constitution and call an early election.
Parliament approved Anutin on Friday with support from the main opposition People’s Party, which said it would remain in opposition but backed him in return for a promise to dissolve Parliament within four months and to hold a referendum on drafting a new constitution by an elected constituent assembly. Those assurances were a pivotal part of Anutin’s path to the premiership and leave the new government potentially a minority one.
Anutin succeeds Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the Pheu Thai Party, who was dismissed by a court last week after being found guilty of ethics violations related to a politically sensitive phone call with Cambodia’s Senate president, Hun Sen, before a July border clash that escalated into a five-day armed conflict. The confrontation raised fears of a wider war in the region.
Anutin had been a deputy prime minister and interior minister in Paetongtarn’s cabinet but resigned and withdrew his Bhumjaithai Party from the coalition after the leaked phone call sparked public uproar. He won the parliamentary vote to replace Paetongtarn after the court removal.
A long-time politician and former health minister, Anutin is best known for leading the push to decriminalize cannabis in Thailand, a policy later tightened to focus on medical use. He also faced criticism for delays in securing COVID-19 vaccine supplies while serving in the health portfolio. His tenure has been marked by other controversies, including allegations of collusion in last year’s Senate election and a land dispute tied to the family of his political mentor, Newin Chidchob.
Anutin becomes the third prime minister in two years since the 2023 general elections. The elections produced a plurality for the Move Forward Party, later renamed the People’s Party, but that party was blocked from taking power at the time when military-appointed senators voted against its candidate because of opposition to its program of monarchy reform. Those senators, who had considerable influence over government formation then, no longer have the right to participate in prime ministerial votes under recent changes.
Srettha Thavisin, a Pheu Thai candidate who was approved as prime minister after the 2023 vote, served about a year before his removal by the Constitutional Court for ethical violations. He was followed by Paetongtarn, who also lasted about a year in office. The Bhumjaithai Party’s withdrawal from Paetongtarn’s coalition in June significantly weakened her government prior to her dismissal.
Anutin’s new government faces immediate challenges: rebuilding political stability after successive leadership changes, addressing fallout from the border clashes with Cambodia, restoring public confidence, and managing economic and disaster-response priorities. He has pledged to deliver an accelerated timetable for constitutional change and an early election to “return power to the people,” commitments that will be closely watched by both supporters and opponents as his administration takes office.