PM Anutin takes charge in Thailand as Mideast chaos pressures economy

Anutin Charnvirakul sailed through a lower house vote on Thursday to become Thailand’s new prime minister, as the conservative establishment emerges on top after years of bitter struggle with pro-democrats. But Anutin’s vow to reset from years of slumping growth and political crisis has been complicated by the US-Israeli war on Iran, which is costing Thailand tens of millions of dollars each day to prop up fuel prices, with ominous queues forming at petrol stations. Addressing lawmakers before the vote, Anutin said: “We meet one another face to face in this chamber. Everyone here shares the same goal: to work for the benefit of the nation and its people.” “I am confident that with your cooperation, my government will carry out the administration of the country to resolve problems as quickly as possible.” A total of 293 lawmakers, all but one from Anutin’s coalition, voted for him to be prime minister, a comfortable majority in the 500-member lower house. The 59-year-old arch-conservative, who is heir to a construction fortune, emerged as the unexpected winner of the election on February 8. The poll saw the Thai public reject the progressive People’s Party and emphatically swing behind a conservative settlement represented by his Bhumjaithai Party. It promised to re-energise a flagging economy, protect Thai sovereignty during a border conflict with Cambodia and end the merry-go-round of governments that has defined the last three years. Bhumjaithai, the largest party in parliament with 191 seats, gave Anutin a launch pad to stitch together a healthy coalition majority. That should make passing legislation relatively easy as long as Pheu Thai, the main coalition partner, stays on board. The rise of Anutin – a hobbyist pilot fond of sharing his everyman credentials as a willing karaoke singer and wok-wielding chef – reflects the victory of conservative politics after 25 years of coups, chaos and vicious competition to keep out reformists seeking greater democracy and economic equality. He takes power as Thailand’s growth slips to its lowest in decades, with trade patterns and energy supplies in turmoil and a long-running border conflict with Cambodia unresolved. His first challenge comes from the Middle East upheaval, which has sent oil prices spiking to between US$100 and US$110 per barrel. The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a passage for a fifth of the world’s oil – threatens to derail his economic plans before the new government has formally begun its term. Sectors from farming and fisheries to plastics are already warning of a production slowdown. “The energy crisis is probably the biggest challenge he has, as Thailand imports a significant proportion of fuel from the Strait of Hormuz,” said Ken Lohatepanont, a PhD candidate in political science at the University of Michigan. “The energy shock could cause significant inflationary pressure and the government is struggling to maintain energy prices through the Oil Fuel Fund” – a cash buffer to stabilise prices during peaks and troughs. The fund has burned through roughly US$30 million a day since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran late last month. Apart from the fuel crisis, Anutin has also been dogged by the perception of stumbles under pressure, such as last year’s deadly mega-floods in Hat Yai. “Anutin now faces two possible paths,” said Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, a legal scholar and political commentator at Thammasat University. He can either rehabilitate his image and prove that the reputation for poor crisis management is undeserved, or confirm what critics have long argued – “that he truly may not be effective in a crisis”. “If he gets it right, he succeeds and will earn genuine public support. If he fails, a collapse [in support] will come quickly,” Prinya said. While Anutin’s appointment awaits formal royal approval – and a possible curveball from the courts over privacy complaints surrounding last month’s election – his endorsement by lawmakers is expected to usher in a period of greater stability for a notoriously febrile country. “This is the first time this century that a conservative party has won the most seats, the opposition is fragmented,” Lohatepanont said. “Barring the unexpected, this should be a more stable government than any in the past few years.” The unexpected could still emerge from a legal challenge to the election. The Constitutional Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a case calling for the poll’s annulment over an alleged breach of secret-ballot principles linked to a bar code on voting sheets. But the risk of the court voiding the election is seen as slim. That leaves Anutin firmly in the driver’s seat, with his pro-democracy People’s Party challengers licking their wounds after a disappointing result and establishment rivals Pheu Thai chastened at the polls and forced into a junior coalition role to stay in power. Thaksin Shinawatra, the jailed Pheu Thai figurehead, is seeking parole in May, just weeks after the new government is expected to take office.

PM Anutin takes charge in Thailand as Mideast chaos pressures economy

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Facing economic challenges and border tensions with Cambodia, the prime minister has pledged swift responses to public needs

Facing economic challenges and border tensions with Cambodia, the prime minister has pledged swift responses to public needs