Thai King Endorses Anutin as PM Amid Border Tensions with Cambodia

Cambodia border crisis triggers Thailand's third leadership change in two years amid constitutional upheaval

Thailand's Parliament elected Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister Friday with 311 votes, making him the country's third leader in two years. The 58-year-old Bhumjaithai Party leader received royal endorsement Sunday after promising to dissolve Parliament within four months.

Image: Anutin Charnvirakul in September 2025

Anutin's rise followed the Constitutional Court's removal of Paetongtarn Shinawatra over ethics violations related to a leaked phone call with Cambodia's Hun Sen during a border dispute. The controversy erupted in June when audio emerged of Paetongtarn criticizing a Thai military commander responsible for border security.

Anutin immediately announced key cabinet appointments, including veteran diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow as foreign minister and experienced economist Ekniti Nitithanprapas as finance minister. Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet congratulated Anutin, expressing hopes to "restore relations to normalcy" and "rebuild mutual trust."

The new government faces immediate challenges: a sputtering economy forecast to grow just 2% this year, hit by Trump's trade policies, and the delicate border situation with Cambodia following a deadly five-day armed conflict in July.

Anutin secured support from the progressive People's Party in exchange for his promise of early elections and constitutional reform, though the party will remain in opposition. His brief tenure will test whether Thailand can stabilize its politics while managing external pressures from both economic headwinds and regional tensions.

Our Take: The frontier is the pressure point. Missteps could turn nationalist fervor into a renewed clash, paralyzing ASEAN diplomacy and rattling supply chains. Anutin's four-month timeline offers little room for substantive policy changes but enough time for diplomatic miscalculations.