Thai Construction Magnate Anutin Charnvirakul Elected Prime Minister

Thai conservative construction magnate Anutin Charnvirakul won a parliamentary vote on Friday to become Thailand’s next prime minister, according to an AFP tally of lawmakers’ ballots.

Since the 2023 elections, the Pheu Thai party, led by the influential Shinawatra family, had controlled the nation’s top office. However, a court ruling last week removed dynasty heiress Paetongtarn Shinawatra from the post, creating a power vacuum.

Seizing the opportunity, Anutin quickly formed a coalition of opposition parties, preventing Pheu Thai from retaining the premiership. According to AFP’s count, Anutin secured over 247 votes, gaining the majority support of the 492 MPs in the National Assembly’s lower house.

“It’s normal to feel excited,” Anutin told reporters as he arrived for the vote.

Ahead of Friday’s session, Thaksin Shinawatra, patriarch of the Shinawatra family, left the country for Dubai, citing plans to visit friends and seek medical treatment.

Anutin, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, has previously served as deputy prime minister, interior minister, and health minister. He is widely known for legalizing cannabis in 2022 and for his controversial handling of Thailand’s Covid-19 response, which included blaming Westerners for spreading the virus—a remark he later apologized for following public backlash.

Anutin also gained crucial backing from the 143-seat People’s Party, the largest parliamentary bloc, under the condition that parliament be dissolved for new elections within four months.