--- description: Thailand’s Prayut Chan-Ocha said he will retire from politics after a bid to extend his near-decade rule failed in the May general election. title: Outgoing Thai Prime Minister Prayut Announces Retirement From Politics image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8239abc4099e65ba/698a3e8b4ee262ac2031b8cb/prayut-thailand-retirement.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Thailand](/tag/thailand/) ## Thailand Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Thailand’s Outgoing Prime Minister and Former Junta Leader Announces Retirement From Politics by [Patpicha Tanakasempipa / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Patpicha Tanakasempipa / Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 11, 2023 11:00 AM CUT  Thai Prime Minister and United Thai Nation candidate Prayut Chan-O-Cha leaves the party's headquarters as votes are counted during Thailand's general election in Bangkok on May 14, 2023. Thai Prime Minister and United Thai Nation candidate Prayut Chan-O-Cha leaves the party's headquarters as votes are counted during Thailand's general election in Bangkok on May 14, 2023.Lillian Suwanrumpha—AFP/Getty Images by [Patpicha Tanakasempipa / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Patpicha Tanakasempipa / Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 11, 2023 11:00 AM CUT Thailand’s caretaker prime minister Prayut Chan-Ocha said he will retire from politics after a bid to extend his near-decade rule failed with the defeat of the pro-establishment parties in the May general election. **Read More:** [_Thailand’s Leader Promised to Restore Democracy. Instead He’s Tightened His Grip_](https://time.com/5318235/thailand-prayuth-chan-ocha/ "undefined") Prayut will resign from the United Thai Nation Party, which the former army chief only joined in January in a bid to stay in office for another term following earlier years as junta leader and then a civilian premier. His announcement, made in a Facebook post on Tuesday, came nearly two months after the election that tipped the scale of power in favor of a group of pro-democracy parties led by Pita Limjaroenrat, the current front-runner to take his job. **Read More:** [_Who Will Be Thailand’s Next Prime Minister? Here Are All the Ways It Could Go_](https://time.com/6291912/thailand-prime-minister-election-what-could-happen/ "undefined") Prayut first seized power in a military coup in 2014 and stayed in power as the head of a civilian government following an election in 2019. “As prime minister, I dedicated myself to protect the nation, the religion, and the monarchy, and worked for the benefit of the beloved people,” Prayut said, referring to what’s known as the three pillars of the Southeast Asian country. “From now, I’m retiring from politics.” Prayut said he enjoyed his short stint campaigning United Thai Nation Party, which won 36 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives. The party has said it will not nominate Prayut or party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga to challenge Pita’s bid. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6293630/thai-prime-minister-prayuth-retires-from-politics/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6293630/thai-prime-minister-prayuth-retires-from-politics/"},"headline":"Thailand’s Outgoing Prime Minister and Former Junta Leader Announces Retirement From Politics","datePublished":"2023-07-11T11:00:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T16:08:08.683Z","description":"Thailand’s Prayut Chan-Ocha said he will retire from politics after a bid to extend his near-decade rule failed in the May general election.","url":"https://time.com/6293630/thai-prime-minister-prayuth-retires-from-politics/","keywords":["Thailand","wire"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8239abc4099e65ba/698a3e8b4ee262ac2031b8cb/prayut-thailand-retirement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Patpicha Tanakasempipa / Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8239abc4099e65ba/698a3e8b4ee262ac2031b8cb/prayut-thailand-retirement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"THAILAND-POLITICS-VOTE","caption":"THAILAND-POLITICS-VOTE","creditText":"Lillian Suwanrumpha—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/thailand/","name":"Thailand"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6293630/thai-prime-minister-prayuth-retires-from-politics/","name":"Thailand’s Outgoing Prime Minister and Former Junta Leader Announces Retirement From Politics"}}]}] ```