Thailand new prime minister biography
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Securing 311 votes in the House of Representatives, Anutin – the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party – will lead a minority coalition government following an agreement with the opposition People’s Party.
This development comes after the Constitutional Court’s removal of the previous Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, on August 29, 2025, showing Anutin’s influence as a seasoned statesman and coalition builder.
During a five-year hiatus from politics (2007–2012), he focused on business innovation, establishing the Rancho Charnvee Country Club near Khao Yai National Park – a resort that promotes eco-tourism and equestrian activities. In these roles, he contributed to policy initiatives aimed at economic diversification and healthcare improvements.
A temporary setback came in 2007 when he faced a five-year ban from political activities following the dissolution of the Thai Rak Thai political party.
Thitinan said Anutin was "between a rock and a hard place."
But though the Cambodia situation proved to be Paetongtarn Shinawatra's undoing, Anutin's appointment has already helped ease tensions.
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet congratulated Anutin on his "resounding victory" and said he looked forward to restoring bilateral ties "to normalcy, rebuild mutual trust, and transform the shared border between our two Kingdoms into one of peace, cooperation, development and shared prosperity."
Cambodia-Thailand truce remains shaky
Is Anutin eying a longer stint in power?
Thitinan explained that Anutin, who is "not a policy man," would likely take an "ad hoc" approach to the border issue and the budget, before preparing for an election, which ideally would be held within four months.
"But if he is tricky, then he'll try to stay longer," he predicted.
He said that the makeup of the cabinet did not suggest that Anutin wanted those in key posts to be there just for a short time.
He then aligned himself with Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party, which took power in 2001. In 2022, Anutin led the decriminalization of cannabis, promoting it for therapeutic and economic benefits. But in 2023, he took the posts of deputy prime minister and interior minister in a coalition government led by the Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai party.
That latest alliance was shattered in June this year, after then Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin's daughter, spoke indiscreetly during a phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen about rising tension over disputed territory along the Thailand-Cambodia border that resulted in a five-day armed conflict in July.
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Predecessor's gaffe was his shortcut to power When Hun Sen leaked audio of the call, Paetongtarn's chumminess with the Cambodian leader and unflattering reference to a Thai general caused a public uproar.
Anutin quit his Cabinet posts and pulled his party out of her coalition government, leaving it with a bare parliamentary majority.
He'll be tempted to prolong the government," he said.
Napon Jatusripitak, a political scientist at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said that should elections take place, Anutin would aim to position himself as a candidate who is likely to deliver a victory when Thailand heads to the polls.
"If there is a genuine intention to dissolve the House within four months of delivering a policy statement to parliament, the cabinet's priorities will inevitably reflect the logic of preparing for a new election," he told DW.
That would mean rent-seeking and budgetary disbursements aimed at recouping funds to finance the election campaign, transferring bureaucrats and officials to consolidate Bhumjaithai's local vote-canvassing networks, and rolling out quick-win economic policies to guarantee grassroots support, he explained.
"Anutin may also try to position himself as an electable prime ministerial candidate in the next election, particularly among segments of the Thai urban middle class — a constituency that Bhumjaithai has never successfully penetrated," he added.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
Anutin maintained that his party's detailed legislation was blocked by its coalition partners.
As public health minister, Anutin also oversaw Thailand's COVID-19 response. In 1989, he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from Hofstra University in New York, followed by an MBA from Thammasat University in Thailand. Although Thailand probably fared no worse than most countries faced with the pandemic, he drew severe criticism for his handling of the crisis, particularly what was perceived as tardiness in obtaining vaccine supplies.
Other would-be scandals have dogged him more recently.
By the early 2000s, he aligned with the Thai Rak Thai Party, serving as Deputy Minister of Commerce (2004–2005) and Deputy Minister of Public Health (2004–2005 and 2005–2006) under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. These positions allowed him to oversee critical national portfolios, from local governance to emergency health responses.
Notable Accomplishments
Anutin’s tenure as Minister of Public Health stands out as a cornerstone of his career.
Supported by the People’s Party’s 143 MPs, he committed to dissolving Parliament within four months and holding a referendum on constitutional amendments to enhance democratic processes.
As Thailand’s new leader, Anutin inherits a nation poised for growth, with priorities including economic revitalization, infrastructure advancement, and public welfare, although he will also have to focus on the ongoing border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand.
A devout Buddhist, he enjoys collecting amulets, meditation, and exploring Thailand’s culinary scene, often describing dining as “a great pleasure” in his life. These include suspected collusion in last year's Senate election to give an unfair advantage to some candidates, and his position in a land dispute involving property claimed by the state that has belonged to the family of his Bhumjaithai mentor, Newin Chidchob.
Who is Thailand’s new prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul
Started in politics with Thai Rak Thai, the party founded by Ms Paetongtarn’s father Thaksin Shinawatra.
Served under Thaksin briefly as deputy health minister in 2004 and then deputy commerce minister later that same year before returning to the health portfolio in 2005.
He has lived in Pattaya for about ten years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over 15 years. He also developed a private airport, Khanong Phra, in Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima province. He also announced plans to distribute 1 million free cannabis plants to households.
The cannabis rollout wasn't without criticism.
This policy positioned Thailand as a regional leader in medical research and opened avenues for rural economic empowerment.
As Minister of the Interior, Anutin focused on administrative reforms and regional development, drawing on his business background to streamline local governance. When the Constitutional Court first suspended and then dismissed Paetongtarn for a breach of ethics, it cleared a shortcut for Anutin to become prime minister.
Anutin's Bhumjaithai party has become known as "the quintessential power broker," Thai studies scholars Napon Jatusripitak and Suthikarn Meechan said in an article published online last year.
"This stems from its lack of ideological commitments (except being more pro-monarchy in recent years), aggressive tactics in poaching MPs from other parties, and Teflon-like pragmatism in forming and switching alliances," they wrote.
Born in Bangkok in 1966, Anutin is the son of politician and construction tycoon Chavarat Charnvirakul.
The lack of comprehensive regulations led to a proliferation of unregulated dispensaries and concerns about public consumption and access for children, and this year efforts began to more tightly regulate the industry.