Profile revealed "Teerachai Phuvanatnaranubala" Former deputy leader of the Palang Pracharath Party and former prime minister candidate after "Uncle Pom" stepped down from politics
After the Palang Pracharath Party announced its prime ministerial candidates for the 2026 general election, comprising General Prawit Wongsuwan, Ms. Trinuch Thienthong, and Mr. Teerachai Phuvanatnaranubala, the Election Commission (EC) declared December 27–28, 2025, as the registration dates, with the nationwide election scheduled for February 8, 2026.
Most recently, on December 25, 2025, Mr. Teerachai posted on his personal Facebook page his decision to withdraw from the prime ministerial candidacy and from the position of deputy leader of the Palang Pracharath Party following "Uncle Pom's" announcement the day before (December 24) of his withdrawal as the party's prime minister candidate, citing his plan to become an independent academic.
Teerachai was born on December 21, 1951, and is currently 74 years old. He served as deputy leader of the economic faction of the Palang Pracharath Party. He is the son of Second Lieutenant Thawon Phuvanatnaranubala and Mrs. Mantana Phuvanatnaranubala. Teerachai is married to Mrs. Wannaporn Phuvanatnaranubala, and they have three children: Thanaporn, Kanin, and Thanita Phuvanatnaranubala.
He completed lower secondary education at Saint Gabriel's School and upper secondary at Triam Udom Suksa School in 1969. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, in 1974. Subsequently, he obtained the Fellow of Chartered Accountants certificate from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England in 1977 and completed the Senior Managers in Government program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA, in 2001.
After completing his bachelor's degree and advanced accountancy certificate, he began working at the Bank of Thailand in 1977. He started in financial institution supervision and development from 1991 to 1993, then moved to managing the country's reserve funds. During the 1997 Thai economic crisis, he was part of the Bank of Thailand committee responsible for inspecting and analyzing commercial banks under policies to strengthen confidence in the financial system, including ordering the closure of 56 financial institutions.
In 1998, he was appointed Assistant Governor of the Bank of Thailand in monetary policy. In 2002, he became Deputy Governor for financial stability before being appointed Secretary-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on December 28, 2003, and was reappointed for another term on July 15, 2008. He resigned from the Secretary-General position on August 5, 2011.
He later served as Minister of Finance in the government of Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra. On March 15, 2023, General Prawit Wongsuwan, then Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Palang Pracharath Party, introduced Mr. Teerachai Phuvanatnaranubala, former Minister of Finance.
However, for the 2026 election, various established and new parties will compete. Attention will focus on which party will lead government formation and who will become the next prime minister.