Thailand Parliamentary Vote Outcome – Anutin Charnvirakul Elected Prime Minister

On September 5, the Thai Parliament voted to elect Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, as the country’s 32nd Prime Minister. The vote took place following a two-hour session of parliamentary statements. Anutin secured sufficient support across party blocs to surpass the majority threshold required in the House. Out of 490 total votes, 311 were in favor of Anutin from the Bhumjaithai Party, 152 supported the Pheu Thai candidate, Chaikasem Nitisiri, and 27 abstained.
Anutin, a tycoon-turned-politician, is best known for his tenure as Health Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic and his support for the decriminalization of cannabis in the country. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister under Paetongtarn Shinawatra during her 10-month tenure.
On June 18, Anutin led the Bhumjaithai Party’s withdrawal from Paetongtarn’s coalition government, following the fallout from the controversial leaked phone call between former Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen. On August 29, Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled that Paetongtarn had violated ethical standards and officially removed her from office.
On September 3, following the dismissal of Paetongtarn, the opposition People’s Party announced its support for Anutin’s bid for the premiership. However, this support is conditional on the new Prime Minister dissolving the House of Representatives within four months after the Government delivers its policy statement, in order to pave the way for a general election.