Thailand’s parliament on September 7 elected Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, as prime minister after months of political turmoil. As the third prime minister in just over a year, Anutin will lead a minority government with the two largest parties, the People’s Party and Pheu Thai, in opposition. A long-time figure in Thai politics, Anutin has waited in the wings for decades before maneuvering his way to the premiership—for now. He has pledged to call a new election within four months. Meanwhile, the future of Pheu Thai, which led the previous government under ousted prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is unclear. Since its inception, the party has been a vehicle for Paetongtarn’s father, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. But he has begun a one-year prison sentence handed down by the Thai Supreme Court.
New Thai Prime Minister and the Fall of the Shinawatras (Japhet Quitzon and Gregory B. Poling – Center for Strategic & International Studies)
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