Anutin Charnvirakul
Thailand's parliament elected Anutin Charnvirakul as the country's new prime minister on 05 September 2025. Staunch royalist Anutin Charnvirakul Anutin won 311 votes, securing a comfortable majority of the 492 lawmakers in the National Assembly's lower house, official final results showed. Anutin, who is best known for championing Thailand's decriminalisation of cannabis, was elected with the opposition People's Party support. Their key condition was that new elections be called within four months.
The tycoon-turned-politician took up the position after Paetongtarn Shinawatra was removed from office a week ago following a court ruling. Anutin's election was overshadowed by the departure hours earlier of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, who abruptly left the country on Thursday, ahead of a court ruling that could send him to prison.
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 in 2024. “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.
The 58-year-old’s political ambitions have been supported by his family’s wealth and a strong regional power base in Thailand’s north-eastern Isan region, where his Bhumjaithai party garners support from the large, rural population.
Anutin Charnvirakul, also known as Sia Noo, was born on September 13, 1966, in Bangkok. He is the eldest son of Chavarat Charnvirakul, a former Minister of Interior under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government and founder of Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction (STECON). Anutin completed his secondary education at Assumption College, Bangkok (1984), attended Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, U.S.A. (1985), and earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Hofstra University, New York (1989), and completed a Mini MBA at Thammasat University.
Anutin Charnvirakul also received Honorary Doctorate Degree in several fields, including Civil Engineering, Management, Public Administration, and Economics. He was the President of Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Public Co., Ltd during March 1995 – June 2004. He also served as the Director to the Federation of Thai Industries and Thai Contractors Association Under H.M. the King’s Patronage.
He began his professional career in 1989 as a Production Engineer at Mitsubishi Corporation, New York. He later served as a technical analyst in the financial projects department at the Industrial Finance Corporation of Thailand and held senior executive roles in the Sino-Thai Group, including Managing Director of Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Public Company Limited (1995–2004)
Anutin's political career spanned 29 years, beginning as an advisor to the Foreign Minister in 1996, later serving as Deputy Minister of Public Health and Deputy Minister of Commerce in Thaksin Shinawatra's government. Anutin was banned from politics for five years after being a board member of the Thai Rak Thai Party, which was dissolved in 2006. After his ban was lifted in 2012, he succeeded his father as the leader of Bhumjaithai.
Thailand's political deadlock was temporarily eased. The political situation among different political forces during Paetongtarn's suspension and eventual dismissal was intense, carrying high risks of instability. The election of a new prime minister has defused the immediate crisis, but it does not mean a lasting resolution. Anutin's party had promised to dissolve Parliament within four months in exchange for support from the People's Party. The People's Party also said that an Anutin-led government would have to commit to organizing a referendum on the drafting of a new constitution by an elected constituent assembly.
Thailand's political situation remains complex. Whether Anutin will dissolve parliament is uncertain, and even if new elections are held, the party landscape is expected to stay fragmented, with Pheu Thai and the other groups able to return. The current stalemate has only been temporarily eased, and the future remains unpredictable. Thailand's recent political shifts have followed constitutional procedures, from Paetongtarn's removal to the election of a new prime minister. This adherence to established rules highlights the relative maturity of Thailand's electoral system and suggests a degree of overall stability despite political turbulence.
A BBC report described Anutin as "a seasoned politician and dealmaker." It noted that Anutin is best known for liberalizing Thailand's marijuana laws when he was health minister in 2022. He is also an enthusiastic pilot who owns three of his own planes.
Anutin Charnvirakul was the Minister of Public Health since July 2019. He formerly served as the Deputy Minister of Public Health during July – October 2004 and March 2005 – September 2006 and as the Deputy Minister of Commerce during October 2004 – March 2005. He is a leader of the Bhumjaithai Party since November 2012. In serving as the Minister of Public Health, he brought to the position over 25 years of experience in business development and organizational management. His priorities in public health are to “Reduce health expenditures, increase revenue, make people healthy, and make the nation wealthy”. Under his leadership, Thailand was the first country in Asia to legalize medical cannabis.
In addition to his public service, Anutin is recognized as a businessman and a volunteer pilot with the Flying Heart project. His approach to governance emphasizes accountability, respect for democratic principles, and policies aimed at improving the quality of life of the Thai people.
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