The prime minister of Thailand ( th, นายกรัฐมนตรี; ; , literally 'chief minister of state') is the

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. The

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

is also the chairman of the cabinet of Thailand and represents the government at home and the country abroad. The post of prime minister has existed since the Siamese Revolution of 1932 and Siam's first

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

. Throughout the post's existence it has mostly been occupied by

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

leaders from the

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's ...

, three holding the rank of

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

and seven the rank of

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

. The current prime minister, former general

Prayut Chan-o-cha Prayut Chan-o-cha (sometimes spelled Prayuth Chan-ocha; th, ประยุทธ์ จันทร์โอชา, ; born 21 March 1954) is a Thai politician and retired army officer who has served as the Prime Minister of Thailand since he ...

, was formally appointed to the office on 24 August 2014; he previously served as the ''de facto'' head of government as leader of the

National Council for Peace and Order The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO; th, คณะรักษาความสงบแห่งชาติ; ; abbreviated ( th, คสช.; )) was the military junta that ruled Thailand between its 2014 Thai coup d'état on 22 M ...

after the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

on 22 May 2014. A Constitutional Court ruling on the matter of his 8-year term limit led to Prayut's suspension from 24 August to 30 September 2022, during which his deputy prime minister,

Prawit Wongsuwan Prawit Wongsuwon ( th, ประวิตร วงษ์สุวรรณ, , ; born 11 August 1945) is a Thai politician who is serving as the First Deputy Prime Minister and previously served as Minister of Defence from 2008 to 2011 during th ...

served as acting prime minister of Thailand. ''Note:'' The list includes leaders of military juntas and acting prime ministers. However, they are not counted in the official list as provided by the Royal Thai Government.

List of prime ministers

Colour key (for political coalitions/parties): General categories: (12) (7) Defunct political parties: :Pre–1950: (3) (2) (1) :1950–1975: (1) (1) (0) (1) :1975–2000: (1) (0) :Post–2000: (2) (1) (2) Active political parties: (6) (1) (1) (1)

Timeline

Notes

References

;Citations ;Links *

External links

LIST OF THAI PRIME MINISTERS with names also in Thai
{{Southeast Asian leaders

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

List of prime ministers

Timeline

See also

Notes

References

External links