New Thai Pm Anutin To Nominate Ekniti For Finance Minister Post

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Senior bureaucrat Ekniti Nitithanprapas will oversee an economy grappling with the fallout from US tariffs and high household debt.
Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s cabinet picks come a day after he was elected premier and will need royal endorsement. (AP pic)BANGKOK: Thailand’s new prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he will nominate Ekniti Nitithanprapas, a senior bureaucrat, as finance minister to steer an economy grappling with the fallout from US tariffs and high household debt
Auttapol Rerkpiboon, a former chief executive of state-controlled energy behemoth PTT Pcl, will become the new energy minister, while veteran diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow will head the foreign ministry, Anutin told reporters in Bangkok on Saturday.
The cabinet picks come a day after Anutin was elected premier and will need royal endorsement, which is expected in the coming days.
Ekniti was the choice for finance chief as he has headed several key departments at the ministry, and is a capable professional, Anutin said. Thai media outlets earlier reported that Bank of Thailand governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput was among candidates being considered for the role.
The challenges awaiting the new finance minister include a sputtering economy, hit particularly by US president Donald Trump’s trade war, a downturn in tourism sector and the highest household indebtedness in Southeast Asia. The economy is forecast to expand about 2% this year, less than half the pace of growth expected for regional peers such as Indonesia and the Philippines.
The new government will implement policies that can benefit the population, Anutin said when asked if he would reintroduce a co-payment program that was popular during the pandemic to stimulate consumption.
Anutin, a conservative politician with royalist credentials, will head a minority government after he won the prime minister vote with the support of the pro-democracy People’s Party – the largest bloc in parliament. He has promised to call fresh elections within four months of taking office and initiate steps to rewrite the constitution.
Anutin’s coalition includes pro-royalist and conservative parties, some of which previously supported former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. She was dismissed by the Constitutional Court for ethical misconduct. Her removal fractured her coalition and opened the way for Anutin’s rise, capping a week of political upheaval. - FMT

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