An introduction to Yotchanan Wongsawat, eldest son of former Prime Minister Somchai and Ja Daeng, and direct grandson of Thaksin and Yingluck, who has taken the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education under the Pheu Thai quota in the Anutin 2 Cabinet.,
On 31 March 2026, in line with a previously leaked cabinet lineup, the Royal Gazette published the ministerial appointments. The Pheu Thai Party’s quota remained unchanged, with Yotchanan Wongsawat, a party-list MP and Pheu Thai's first-ranked prime ministerial candidate, appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation. This followed Pheu Thai’s announcement of a coalition government with Bhumjaithai Party. This is Yotchanan’s first term both as an MP and as a minister.
The ministry that Yotchanan leads is where he grew academically, with strong expertise that earned him the rank of professor before he fully transitioned into politics.
Regarding the profile of Professor Dr. Yotchanan Wongsawat, nicknamed Chen, is the eldest son of Somchai Wongsawat, former Prime Minister, and Yaowapha Wongsawat, known as Ja Daeng, who is the younger sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister, and elder sister of Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand’s first female Prime Minister. Yotchanan holds a master's degree in electrical engineering and a doctorate in brain waves. His dissertation focused on using brain signals to assist persons with disabilities. When he was a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Mahidol University’s Faculty of Engineering, he rose to become Vice President for Research at Mahidol University and remains a professor in biomedical engineering at the Faculty of Engineering.
Professor Dr. Yotchanan once ran as a candidate for Member of Parliament in Chiang Mai’s 3rd constituency in the 2014 general election. Unofficial results showed Yotchanan won the seat, but due to political unrest involving protests against Prime Minister Yingluck led by the People's Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King as Head of State (PCAD), which culminated in the 2014 military coup by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), he was unable to be officially declared MP or enter the political arena at that time.
On 28 January 2025, during Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s administration, the Cabinet approved the appointment of Yotchanan Wongsawat as an expert committee member on management and human resources for the Digital Government Development Agency, following a proposal by Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Chandraruangthong.
Until In the 2026 election, Pheu Thai introduced Professor Dr. Yotchanan Wongsawat as its number one prime ministerial candidate, who campaigned continuously. After the Election Commission certified the results, Yotchanan was elected as a first-term party-list MP for Pheu Thai. He was first on the party list, but Pheu Thai won 74 seats, ranking third behind Bhumjaithai and Palang Pracharat parties. Subsequently, the party’s MPs reported to parliament on 6 March 2026. Later, Pheu Thai decided to form a government with Bhumjaithai, with Yotchanan named as a new ministerial candidate for the Ministry of Higher Education.
However, before the election, Professor Dr. Yotchanan, a brain and biomedical engineering researcher, gained much attention after delivering a keynote speech titled “From Research to Policy” for the Pheu Thai Young Professionals Program (YPP) Class 2. He is considered a significant political heir who was widely regarded as a likely Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate. He had previously been mentioned as a possible party leader and was listed in June 2025 as a candidate for Minister of Education but later denied the appointment.
Upon his announcement as one of three prime ministerial candidates, he shared a vision, saying his life reflects that of many Thais raised in families of civil servants and nurses, moving among provinces, attending provincial boarding schools, and instilled with the belief that knowledge and diligence are the paths to change. Thailand recovered from the major 1997 economic crisis through confidence in Thai capability, as demonstrated by the Thai Rak Thai party’s past policies that transformed citizens’ lives and solved national crises. Yet, the journey faced repeated injustices. In 2025, Thailand faces a perfect storm of economic, geopolitical, climate change, and technological transitions. The Pheu Thai prime minister has done his best to address these, but the political situation forces annual changes in leadership. Given these circumstances, the achievements deserve praise.
Regarding Thailand’s future direction, he emphasized that if the country chooses innovation today, restructures its economy and technology, and harnesses Thai creativity, a bright future is possible. As Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate, he aims to lead Thailand out of its current crises and elevate it to a high-income nation as quickly as possible by focusing on science, technology, and AI. Key strategies include enhancing existing economic sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and services with modern technology, while creating new economic engines by combining local potential with advanced technology. This encompasses climate change adaptation, industrial production, health, and quality of life improvements.
The government must advance three main areas: 1. Establish comprehensive security, including military, cybersecurity, food, energy, and climate change resilience alongside diplomacy balancing Thailand's interests; 2. Build trust through restoring the rule of law, delivering justice, implementing Digital Government for transparency, preventing corruption, and pursuing AI transformation with one-stop government services; 3. Lay foundations for modern infrastructure covering transportation, logistics, AI-driven safety, digital infrastructure, clean energy, welfare, education, research, and innovation to support new and upgraded economies. Emphasizing preparing people to align with new economic structures, ensuring all Thais have equal growth opportunities regardless of location, not for any political party but to create change centered on the people.
"This journey is not just Pheu Thai’s journey; it’s a journey for us to help rebuild the country again. Today, all those from Thai Rak Thai who were denied justice, along with the new generation of Pheu Thai, have come together. We are confident we can start now, this moment, to overhaul Thailand. If Pheu Thai can do it, Thailand can surely do it."
