PM Anutin dissolves parliament, says he wants to ‘return power to the people’
Thai Prime Minister (PM) Anutin Charnvirakul announced the dissolution of Parliament late last night, December 11, saying he wanted to “return power to the people.”
At around 10pm, Anutin posted a brief message on his Facebook account confirming that his government had submitted a request to dissolve the House of Representatives for royal approval, and the request was officially approved this morning, December 12.
Under the Constitution, a general election must be held within 45 to 60 days after Parliament is dissolved. The Election Commission (EC) is required to announce the election date and the candidate registration period within five days of the Royal Decree being issued.
According to ThaiRath, the next general election is expected to take place on Sunday, February 8, 2026, although the EC has not yet made an official announcement.
Anutin became PM after former PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra was removed from office following controversy surrounding a leaked phone conversation with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.
Following her removal, Anutin sought support from the People’s Party to form a government. Despite ideological differences, the People’s Party agreed to support Anutin’s premiership under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlined five conditions.
These included dissolving Parliament within four months, initiating a referendum on constitutional reform, pushing forward amendments to the Constitution, avoiding the formation of a majority government to ensure Parliament would be dissolved as agreed, and keeping the People’s Party in the opposition.
However, the alliance later broke down after Bhumjaithai Party MPs voted to retain the Senate’s powers during the constitutional amendment process. The People’s Party argued that this move directly contradicted the agreement and would obstruct efforts to revise the Constitution.
As a result, the People’s Party announced plans to launch a no-confidence motion against Anutin’s government. Before that motion could proceed, Anutin moved to dissolve parliament instead.
Following the announcement, the People’s Party issued a statement on its official Facebook page, calling on the Bhumjaithai Party to reverse its stance and continue supporting constitutional reform in line with the original agreement.
Anutin later responded briefly in the comment section of the post, writing simply, “Noted.”
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
