Thailand's parliament elected Anutin Charnvirakul as the country's new prime minister. But his victory was overshadowed by the dramatic departure of Thaksin Shinawatra. https://p.dw.com/p/501YB Anutin Charnvirakul waves in parliament after being elected prime minister Anutin has previously served as deputy prime minister, interior minister and health ministerImage: Chalinee Thirasupa/REUTERS ADVERTISEMENT Thailand's parliament elected Anutin Charnvirakul as the country's new prime minister on Friday. Anutin won 311 votes, securing a comfortable majority of the 492 lawmakers in the National Assembly's lower house, official final results showed. The tycoon-turned-politician will take up the position after Paetongtarn Shinawatra was removed from office a week ago following a court ruling. Anutin's election was overshadowed by the departure hours earlier of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, who abruptly left the country on Thursday, ahead of a court ruling that could send him to prison. Thaksin Shinawatra's legal woes Thaksin told officials he was flying to Singapore for medical reasons, but his jet diverted mid-flight and landed in Dubai, where he previously lived in exile. On Friday morning, he took to social media to say he would return to attend the hearing on Tuesday. Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra waves as he attends a case at Criminal Court in Bangkok on August 22, 2025.