Political turmoil in Bangkok: After the elevation: Thailand has the new head of government

A week after the dismissal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra by the constitutional court, Thailand has a new head of government. The parliament elected the chairman of the conservative-populist Bhumjaithai party, Anutin Charnvirakul, the new prime minister. It is already the third change of government in two years – and it remains questionable whether the political turmoil in the kingdom will come to an end.

This was preceded by day -long negotiations between the most important parties. Ultimately, the 58-year-old Anutin was able to prevail because the People’s Party (PPLE), the largest opposition party in parliament, supported him-on the condition that the parliament is dissolved within four months and that new elections are held. The progressive PPLE does not want to participate in the government.

The previously ruling party Pheu Thai, which is directed by the influential Shinawatra dynasty, had tried to prevent Anutin’s choice until the end. She also set up her own candidate. In the end, however, Anutin received a clear majority.

What triggered the crisis?

Thailand’s previous Prime Minister Paetongtarn had to resign again in office after just one year at the end of last week. The constitutional court decided that the 39-year-old had violated ethical principles in a leaked telephone conversation and had to give up her office.

The explosive phone call was about the long smoldering conflict on the border between the neighboring countries of Thailand and Cambodia. With Paetongtarn, the court has already dropped a total of five heads of government within 17 years.

Who is the new man at the top?

The new head of government is a successful building contractor and a prominent politician. He was already Vice Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Health. In the latter role, he made a name for himself primarily as an advocate of cannabis legalization, which he drove significantly. In June 2022, cannabis was deleted from the list of banned narcotics – and hemp shops nationwide shot like mushrooms. The last government had tried to tighten the rules again.

Anutin must now conduct a minority government in the middle of many political confusion. Political observers warn that his government should be faced with a challenging legislature due to a missing stable majority – especially since the early 2026 should be elected.