No Major Shake-up: Natthapon Remains Party Leader as Picharn Takes Secretary-General Post, Aiming for Seamless Coordination Between Local and Parliamentary Work
Pheu Thai Party appointed Picharn Chaowapatvanont as secretary-general on April 26, with party leader Natthapon remaining in position, aiming to coordinate parliamentary and grassroots work to solve public issues as an opposition party.
At 11:50 a.m. on April 26, 2026, at Maple Hotel in Bangkok, Natthapon Rueangpanya, party list MP and Pheu Thai Party leader, announced that the party's annual general assembly approved Picharn Chaowapatvanont as party secretary-general. Suthawan Subban Na Ayutthaya, former Nakhon Pathom MP, was appointed to the party executive committee, while Phakamon Nunanant, party list MP, became party spokesman. All confirmed their readiness to work full-time.
Picharn stated that as the new secretary-general, he would implement decisions from party meetings and prioritize human resource development across all party units. He emphasized that all party activities should benefit the people. He called for coordination between parliamentarians, provincial teams, and networks to work seamlessly both inside and outside parliament, using legal knowledge and parliamentary mechanisms to solve people's problems as an opposition party.
When asked about accelerating MP candidate selection and addressing qualification issues, Picharn explained that candidates who could be quickly endorsed would have stronger teams and greater capacity to work in their areas, paving the way toward elections.
Regarding pressure about accepting the secretary-general position—described as the party's brain—Picharn said pressure was irrelevant; rather, when the party gave him their trust, he had a duty to drive objectives. He saw the current judicial crisis as an opportunity to work effectively through the ten MPs not under suspension orders.
On preventing internal politics and position-grabbing, Picharn said party units must understand their shared goal: improving people's lives and creating a better Thailand. If everyone focused on that objective, all obstacles and conflicts could be overcome.
After the announcement, Pheu Thai supporters presented a "Conquer Evil—People's Version" talisman and oranges in a transparent box to Natthapon and Picharn. When reporters asked if the oranges resembled those in Prime Minister Anutthin Charnvirakul's office at Government House, Natthapon only smiled and laughed without answering.
