Anutin Charnvirakul, a staunch royalist, has been appointed by lawmakers as Thailand’s next prime minister after days of heated negotiations and political drama.
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 a major setback for Paetongtarn’s family, one of the country’s most influential and polarising political dynasties. Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn’s billionaire father and a former leader himself, 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 on 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.
Thailand’s constitutional court removed Paetongtarn from office a week ago, saying she had violated ethical rules during her handling of a border dispute with Cambodia. That made her the fourth member of her family to be ousted before reaching the end of her term. The ruling prompted a race between Pheu Thai and Anutin’s Bhumjaithai party to fill the position, with days of horse trading between rival parties.
Anutin, an experienced politician, 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 campaigned for 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.
Anutin told reporters as he exited parliament to visit his father in a hospital that he would work hard to solve the country’s problems. “I intend to work with my full capability,” he said. “I must work every day and make the most out of it, with no day off.”
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 the supporters of the People’s party have questioned whether Anutin can be trusted to stick to his promises, however.
The deal allowed him to achieve a thumping victory over Chaikasem Nitisiri, 77, a veteran lawyer and the candidate put forward by Thaksin’s Pheu Thai.
Anutin won 311 votes, more than double Chaikasem’s 152.
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 after striking a controversial deal with his old enemies in the conservative establishment. The arrangement, seen by many as a betrayal of his supporters, has crumbled, while his popularity 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.
