Step‑by‑step guide to electing Thailand’s new prime minister after Paetongtarn
Thailand begins the process to elect a new prime minister after Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s dismissal, outlining steps and candidate rules.
Following the Constitutional Court’s ruling that Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thailand’s 31st prime minister, committed a serious ethical violation, her tenure has ended, and the entire cabinet has been dissolved. A vote is now required to elect a new prime minister.
The procedure for electing a new prime minister following a court‑ordered vacancy, under Sections 160(4) and 160(5) of the Constitution, is as follows:
1. The deputy prime minister assumes the role of acting prime minister, and the cabinet continues in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet takes office.
Political appointees and officials appointed by the prime minister immediately vacate their positions. However, officials appointed by ministers, including ministerial advisors, secretaries to ministers, and assistant secretaries, continue in a caretaker capacity until the new cabinet is sworn in.
2. The House of Representatives convenes to elect the new prime minister. Political parties may submit candidates from their lists registered with the Election Commission (EC). A candidate must be endorsed by at least one‑tenth of all members of the House (50 or more MPs).
Voting is conducted openly, with individual votes recorded. A candidate receiving more than half of all members’ votes – at least 247 out of 492 MPs – is elected prime minister under Section 159 of the Constitution.
The parties that have submitted candidates are:
- Pheu Thai Party: Chaikasem Nitisiri
- Bhumjaithai Party: Anutin Charnvirakul
- United Thai Nation Party: Gen Prayut Chan‑o‑cha and Pirapan Salirathavibhaga
- Democrat Party: Jurin Laksanawisit
The Speaker of the House will schedule meetings to elect a prime minister until a candidate secures the required majority. The Constitution does not set a specific timeframe for this process.
Candidates not elected cannot be renominated in the same parliamentary session (as in the case of Pita Limjaroenrat, who was not renominated during the second session of the joint parliamentary meeting on July 19, 2023).
The House has a total of 492 MPs, with 253 government‑side and 239 opposition‑side members.
