Author: Devjot Ghoshal
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Anutin Charnvirakul declared at a rally in the Thai capital Bangkok last month that his Bhumjaithai Party should be the automatic choice for all patriotic Thais in Sunday’s general election.
“I promise all of you that I will defend Thailand with my life,” the 59-year-old politician said. “Just choose Bhumjaithai to defend the country and help defend all our lands.”
The speech exemplified Anutin’s strategy of riding the wave of nationalism following a bitter border conflict with Cambodia – a gamble that has paid off.
In preliminary results released by Thailand’s Election Commission on Sunday night, Boumjithai was far ahead of the Progressive People’s Party and the populist Pheu Thai party.
As the results trickled in, he told reporters: “Nationalism is in the heart of everyone in the Bhumjaithai Party. Our people gave us more than we expected.”
If Anutin is able to form a government, he would become the first Thai prime minister in two decades to be re-elected via a vote, underscoring the political instability that has long plagued Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
Anutin, a wily operator known for supporting Thailand’s legalization of cannabis in 2022, entered the prime minister’s office with the minority government last August after his predecessor was ousted by court order.
“Give power back to the people”
His term began six weeks after Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a ceasefire to end bitter border clashes, but fighting resumed in early December and intensified, stretching the entire land border between the neighbors.
The conflict offers Anutin – a conservative staunchly loyal to Thailand’s influential monarchy – an opportunity not only to boost his nationalist credentials but also to provide a window to seek a decisive mandate from a parliamentary majority.
Late at night on December 11, less than 100 days before he became prime minister, Anutin posted a text message on social media: “I am returning power to the people.”
The move comes after disagreements with the opposition People’s Party, which initially backed him as prime minister, to dissolve parliament, triggering snap elections.
his father’s son
Anutin was born into a family of Chinese descent at the intersection of money and influence – two factors that have propelled his steady rise through the ever-turbulent Thai political scene.
His father, Chavarat Charnvirakul, founded Sino-Thailand Engineering and Construction, which initially worked on projects including building a U.S. military base in Thailand but eventually grew into a major construction company.
Chawla also entered politics, serving briefly as Thailand’s acting prime minister, in addition to brief stints in the interior and health ministries.
After earning an engineering degree in the United States, Anutin followed his father’s path: first leading China-Thailand relations, then entering politics, entering the government of billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra in 2004.
Three years later, Thaksin’s populist Thai Rakshasa Party was dissolved by court order. The verdict also banned Anutin from politics for five years.
marriage of convenience
Anutin returned to the fray in 2012 as leader of Bhumjaithai, then a provincial group with roots in rural northeastern Thailand, and built it into a national party capable of leading a coalition government.
Napon Jatusripitak of the Bangkok-based Future of Thailand think tank said this reflected Anutin’s ability to balance power brokers in the provinces, who control votes in the hinterland, and appeal to urban supporters by bringing in technocrats for key ministries.
Thailand’s conservative royalist establishment, which has long struggled with populists such as Thaksin Shinawatra and, more recently, a younger progressive movement led by the People’s Party, has also united behind Anutin, he added.
“I think a lot of people can see that strategically, Bhumjaithai has the best chance of fending off the progressives and the Thaksinites,” Napon said. “It’s definitely a marriage of convenience.”
Even if Anutin is able to form a government, he won’t enjoy much of a honeymoon.
Thailand’s economy is in a slump, weighed down by trade tensions and soaring household debt.
Its neighbors are in flux, relations with Cambodia are strained, and Myanmar’s civil war still rages.
Not since Thaksin Shinawatra in 2005 has a democratically elected Thai prime minister completed a full term.
(Additional reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)