Prawit Wongsuwon

Prawit Wongsuwon
ประวิตร วงษ์สุวรรณ
Prawit at the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting, Singapore in 2018
Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand
In office
30 August 2014 – 1 September 2023
Prime MinisterPrayut Chan-o-cha
Himself (acting)
Acting Prime Minister of Thailand
In office
24 August 2022 – 30 September 2022
MonarchVajiralongkorn
Preceded byPrayut Chan-o-cha[a]
Succeeded byPrayut Chan-o-cha[b]
Minister of Defence
In office
30 August 2014 – 10 July 2019
Prime MinisterPrayut Chan-o-cha
Preceded byYingluck Shinawatra
Succeeded byPrayut Chan-o-cha
In office
20 December 2008 – 9 August 2011
Prime MinisterAbhisit Vejjajiva
Preceded bySomchai Wongsawat
Succeeded byYuthasak Sasiprapha
Leader of the Palang Pracharath Party
Assumed office
27 June 2020
Preceded byUttama Savanayana
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
14 May 2023
ConstituencyParty-list
President of National Olympic Committee of Thailand
Assumed office
5 April 2017
Preceded byYuthasak Sasiprapha
Commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army
In office
1 October 2004 – 30 September 2005
Preceded byChaiyasit Shinawatra
Succeeded bySonthi Boonyaratglin
Personal details
Born (1945-08-11) 11 August 1945 (age 79)
Bangkok, Thailand
Political partyPalang Pracharath (since 2020)
RelativesPatcharawat Wongsuwan (brother)
Alma mater
NicknamePom (ป้อม)
Military service
AllegianceThailand
Branch/serviceRoyal Thai Army
Years of service1969–2005
RankGeneral
CommandsRoyal Thai Army
Battles/wars

Prawit Wongsuwon (Thai: ประวิตร วงษ์สุวรรณ, RTGSPrawit Wongsuwan, pronounced [prà.wít wōŋ.sù.wān]; born 11 August 1945) is a Thai politician and retired army officer who served as the First deputy prime minister from 2014 to 2023, Minister of Defence from 2008 to 2011 during the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and from 2014 to 2019 in the first government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. He also previously served as the deputy chairman of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), a military junta which ruled Thailand from 2014 to 2019. From 2004 to 2005 he was the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (RTA).

In 2022, he briefly became acting prime minister of Thailand after Prayut was briefly suspended from carrying out his duties as Prime Minister of Thailand by the Constitutional Court of Thailand after the court agreed to take up the case on whether Prayut had exceeded the constitutional term limit for the office of prime minister. The Constitutional Court of Thailand later ruled on 30 September 2022 that Prayut had not exceeded his term limit and may continue to serve as prime minister. Prayut was thereafter able to resume carrying out duties as prime minister as a result of the court ruling and Prawit ceased to be the acting prime minister of Thailand on the same date of the court ruling. Prawit will never gain the title of being prime minister of Thailand.[1][2]


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