The fall of the Shinawatra clan: the Thai parliament appoints a “temporary” prime minister and declares a course toward early elections

On September 5, 2025, the Thai Parliament appointed Anutin Charnvirakul – a construction business tycoon and leader of the Bhumjaithai Party (the third largest in the parliament) – as Prime Minister.

This became possible after an agreement between Bhumjaithai and the main opposition force, the pro-American People’s Party, regarding anti-crisis measures.

In particular, they agreed to dissolve the lower house within the next four months (by the end of 2025), begin revising the constitution to repeal junta-era provisions, and abandon attempts to form a “majority government.” For the People’s Party, this was a way to block the possibility of a new military coup due to the collapse of the coalition.

This political reshuffle occurred after the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office for “favoring” Cambodian leader Hun Sen during attempts to de-escalate the conflict between the two countries.