Julapun named Pheu Thai leader in place of Paetongtarn

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

JULAPUN AMORNVIVAT was today (Oct.31) overwhelmingly named leader of the neo-conservative/populist Pheu Thai, currently part of the opposition bloc, replacing de facto party boss-turned-inmate Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra who has earlier resigned.

In an extraordinary party caucus at their headquarters, Julapan was solely named the ninth Pheu Thai leader for whom 354 out of a total 369 eligible attendees voted whilst the likes of former acting party leader Chaturon Chaisang or other prominent partisan figures who had been earlier speculated to be named party leader in rivalry against Julapun were not eventually named.

Julapun, a five-time Pheu Thai MP of Chiang Mai, who had performed as deputy finance minister in a previous government under the court-deposed, former prime minister Paetongtarn, is known to be invariably entrusted to some extent by all members of the Shinawatra family, namely Thaksin’s sisters Yingluck Shinawatra and Yaowapa Wongsawat as well as himself.

Julapun who is generally viewed as a congenial person in the eye of the Pheu Thai rank and file and others is more or less expected to restore the neo-conservative/populist party’s exponentially-ebbing hype during a run-up to a general election speculated as soon as in early February.

The Pheu Thai popularity has obviously nosedived following last June’s avoidable fiasco on the part of Thaksin’s daughter who disgracefully and erroneously handled the Thai-Cambodian border conflict highlighted by a leaked, spontaneous telephone conversation between senior Cambodian leader Hun Sen and herself.

The Constitutional Court judged Paetongtarn guilty of severely violating the politician’s code of ethics allegedly tantamount to an act of treason pertaining to the Thai-Cambodian issue and immediately ousted her from elected premiership. Probably for fear of violating electoral rules, the court-deposed Paetongtarn called it quits as Pheu Thai leader who would be otherwise legally obliged to certify all partisan candidates running in the nationwide election for MPs.

Meanwhile, former transport minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit and former public health minister Somsak Thepsuthin, a duo of leaders of Sam Mit Group, a faction inside Thaksin’s camp, might probably lead an exodus of several renegade Pheu Thai MPs to another party under whose tickets they would seek re-election in their respective constituencies.

Being recently named director for Pheu Thai electoral campaigns notwithstanding, Suriya might probably not be ready or willing to cover all relevant expenses for hundreds of partisan contestants out of his pocket in case that the Shinawatra family might probably choose to stop paying anymore, according to a partisan source.

It remains to be seen how many MP seats the Pheu Thai under the Julapun leadership could possibly secure in the upcoming election, compared to 141 which they had grabbed in the 2023 election whilst critics have invariably predicted that Thaksin’s camp would likely win far less than 100 and be outvoted by the Klatham under de facto party boss Thammanat Prompao in many constituencies during the next race to parliament.

In another development, if Thaksin who is currently serving a curtailed, one-year jail term at Klong Prem prison was granted royal pardon or released on parole during the run-up to the general election which would likely occur between early February and late March, the Pheu Thai contestants in both constituency-based and party-listed modes might probably have wider chances of winning, the partisan source forecast.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is more or less speculated to return the power to the people by dissolving the House of Representatives in early December to call a general election in a 60-day time as provided by law only to avoid being grilled over the Cambodia-based, transnational scammer and money-laundering issues.

Anutin who concurrently performs as interior minister and leader of the Bhumjaithai, core of the current coalition government under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, might probably choose to preclude censure debate by dissolving the House, given the parliamentary rules under which he is not legally empowered to do so if a censure motion has been formally filed at parliament.

Given the current coalition partnership, the prime minister was not seriously expected to take legal action against certain coalition MPs or members of his cabinet such as the likes of Thammanat, currently the deputy prime minister-cum-agriculture & cooperatives minister, who was allegedly associated with persons involved in the Cambodia-based scammer networks, including notorious wheeler-dealer Benjamin Mauerberger, also known as Ben Smith and an adviser to Hun Sen.

CAPTION:

The new Pheu Thai leader Julapun Amornvivat and other senior members and the rank and file at the party caucus today, Oct. 31, 2025. All photos – Naewna