Singapore: Months of political uncertainty in Thailand sparked by the suspension and eventual ouster of the prime minister have come to a temporary pause after politicians on Friday voted in a new leader, the third to hold the office in a little more than a year.
Anutin Charnvirakul, the 58-year-old leader of the Bhumjaithai party, cobbled together an alliance of progressives and conservatives to beat out Chaikasem Nitisiri of the ruling Pheu Thai party. Pheu Thai is the political vehicle of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was dismissed by court order last week, and her influential father and another former PM, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Anutin Charnvirakul is set to become Thailand’s new prime minister after a vote in parliament on Friday. Credit: AP
Anutin won 311 of a possible 492 votes, according to an unofficial tally broadcast on television. The veteran politician and his government are expected to take office in a few days after obtaining a formal appointment from King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Distracting from Anutin’s triumph, Thaksin earlier flew to Dubai, the country where he spent years in exile after being deposed by a military coup in 2006, for what he said was medical treatment.
The move has sparked intrigue in Thailand because the billionaire is just days away from a court ruling in a case relating to events surrounding his return from exile. If found guilty, he could be jailed.
Promising to return to Bangkok in time to attend the court in person, Thaksin said he had intended to go to Singapore but was forced to re-route his private jet to Dubai because he was stalled too long at immigration to make it to Singapore’s Seletar Airport before it closed at 10pm.
Loading
Before Thaksin’s abrupt departure, Anutin secured the support of the progressive People’s Party for him to become prime minister, though the party said it would remain in opposition. One of the conditions for its support was the dissolution of the House of Representatives within four months for a new general election, meaning any calm in Thai politics may be brief.
The People’s Party is the successor to the Move Forward party, which won the most votes at the 2023 election, only for the unelected and military-backed Senate to block its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, from becoming the prime minister. The Senate no longer holds such powers.
