Bangkok: The Thai parliament today elected Anutin Charnvirakul as Prime Minister after he secured 311 votes out of 490, defeating the ruling party's candidate, Chaikasem Nitisiri, who received 152 votes, while 27 members abstained.

According to Qatar News Agency, this vote marked the first parliamentary contest for the post of prime minister since 2019, ending a week of political tension following the Constitutional Court's dismissal of former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Anutin, 58, who has previously held senior positions including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Interior, received strong backing from opposition parties to lead a minority government amid an escalating political crisis since last June, after his withdrawal from the ruling coalition, which lost its parliamentary majority amid popular protests.

The new government faces severe economic challenges, most notably weak consumption, rising household debt levels, and borrowing difficulties that threaten the stability of Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.