Julapun Amornvivat elected new Pheu Thai leader

On October 31, 2025, the Pheu Thai Party elected Julapun Amornvivat, Chiang Mai MP and former deputy finance minister, as its new leader with 354 votes out of 369, succeeding Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who resigned to avoid potential scrutiny after the Constitutional Court ruled she had violated ethical standards in a leaked audio conversation with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The extraordinary general assembly, chaired by acting party leader Chusak Sirinil, convened at the party headquarters to elect a new executive board and a committee to select candidates for future elections.

In the leadership vote, Julapun secured overwhelming support, with only 15 members abstaining. He becomes Pheu Thai’s ninth party leader since its founding.

A seasoned politician and one of the party’s “young bloods,” Julapun has served as an MP for five terms and entered the Cabinet when Pheu Thai formed the government in 2023 under Prime Ministers Srettha Thavisin and Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Within the party, he is widely recognised as a moderniser capable of rebranding the party’s image and preparing it for the next general election.

Julapun’s rise is also seen as a unifying choice, enjoying trust from various factions within the Shinawatra family network — including the “Chan Song La” group linked to Thaksin Shinawatra, the “Wang Bua Ban” faction led by Yaowapa Wongsawat, and the wing associated with former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Born on April 8, 1975, Julapun is the son of veteran politician Sompong Amornvivat, former deputy prime minister, ex-leader of Pheu Thai, and once a core member of the “Group of 16.” His mother is Petcharee (Techapaiboon) Amornvivat.

He graduated from Chulalongkorn University Demonstration School, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Chulalongkorn University, and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from Boston University, United States.

Julapun married Visaradee Techateerawat, Chiang Rai MP and daughter of veteran northern politician Visarn Techateerawat, who served as an MP for nine terms. The couple wed on February 9, 2010.

According to his asset declaration to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in 2023 upon assuming office as Chiang Mai MP, Julapun, his wife, and their minor child reported total assets worth 98.47 million baht and liabilities of 105,295 baht.

His declared assets include 18 land plots worth 48.87 million baht in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Bangkok, as well as two properties — a condominium in Mai Khao Beach, Phuket, and a detached house in Rama III, Bangkok — worth 15.66 million baht combined.

The couple also reported investments valued at 26.1 million baht, seven designer handbags worth 2.3 million baht, and seven luxury watches valued at 3.04 million baht belonging to Visaradee.

Julapun’s appointment signals a generational shift within the Pheu Thai Party as it prepares to rebuild unity and reposition itself under a younger, reform-minded leader closely aligned with the Shinawatra political dynasty.