Thailand's Anutin Charnvirakul was elected prime minister on Friday after breezing through a parliamentary vote, trouncing the candidate of the Shinawatra family's once-dominant ruling party to end a week of chaos and political deadlock.
With the decisive backing of the opposition, Anutin easily passed the threshold of more than half of the Lower House votes required to become prime minister, capping off days of drama and a scramble for power during which he outmaneuvered the most successful political party in Thailand's history.
Shrewd deal-maker Anutin has been a mainstay in Thai politics throughout years of turmoil, positioning his Bhumjaithai party strategically between warring elites embroiled in an intractable power struggle and guaranteeing its place in a succession of coalition governments.
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