Five Pledges Will Shape Anutin's Time as Premier
Anutin Charnvirakul, newly endorsed as Thailand’s prime minister, faces an unusually fragile mandate shaped by a Memorandum of Agreement with the People’s Party (PP), which conditions his leadership on five key pledges: dissolving the House within four months, initiating constitutional reform via referendum and an elected drafting assembly, accelerating charter amendments, refraining from forming a majority government, and accepting PP’s role as the opposition. These commitments leave his government highly vulnerable to censure and political instability, while his credibility is questioned given past statements opposing alliances with progressive forces. Success will depend on whether he honors these promises, avoids interference in sensitive legal cases, and effectively addresses pressing national issues such as the Thai-Cambodian border dispute and economic challenges. If he delivers, Anutin could strengthen both his public standing and his party’s future electoral prospects, but failure to keep his word risks undermining trust in his leadership.