Anutin Charnvirakul, 58, became Thailand's new prime minister after securing 247 votes in Tuesday's parliamentary election. His opponent, 77-year-old Chaikasem Nitisiri of the Pheu Thai Party, received just over 100 votes.
Following the lower house vote, House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha will submit Anutin's name to the King for royal endorsement.
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Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok, 5/9. Photo: Reuters |
Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok, 5/9. Photo: Reuters
Anutin is the son of Chavarat Charnvirakul, a former interior minister and founder of the STECON construction company. He has a background in economics and engineering, having graduated from Hofstra University in the US with an engineering degree.
He later studied commerce and accounting at Thammasat University in Thailand. Anutin completed several business administration programs and received an honorary doctorate in business administration from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University in 2014.
His political career began around 1996 as an advisor to the foreign minister. From 2004 to 2005, he served as deputy minister of health and deputy minister of commerce. Anutin was then banned from politics for five years after the Thai Rak Thai Party, where he was an executive committee member, was dissolved in 2006. From September 2023 to June of this year, he served as deputy prime minister and minister of the interior.
Anutin supports constitutional amendments to strengthen democracy while upholding the rule of law. He was the Bhumjaithai Party's prime ministerial candidate in both 2019 and 2023.
Anutin's victory brings Thailand out of a political deadlock and potential coalition struggles. His predecessor, former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was removed from office by the Constitutional Court on 29/8 for violating ethics rules during a phone call with Hun Sen. She was the fifth Thai prime minister to be removed by the Constitutional Court in the past 17 years.
Ngoc Anh (Thairath News, Thai PBS, Thai Nation)
