A profile of Trinuch Thianthong, granddaughter of Senator Sano, who is named among the Palang Pracharath Party's prime ministerial candidates. She has won several elections and held multiple ministerial positions.
On 16 December 2025, the Palang Pracharath Party announced its list of prime ministerial candidates for the 2026 election. The Election Commission (EC) scheduled candidate registration for 27-28 December 2025, with the nationwide election set for 8 February 2026. The party is fielding three candidates: General Prawit Wongsuwan, Ms. Trinuch Thianthong, and Mr. Teerachai Phuwanatnaranubala.
Ms. Trinuch Thianthong, nicknamed Neng, was born on 12 September 1972 and is 53 years old as of 2025. She currently serves as Minister of Labour and Secretary-General of the Palang Pracharath Party. She is the daughter of Mr. Pichet and Mrs. Kwanruen Thianthong, and the granddaughter of Senator Sano Thianthong. Her siblings include Mr. Thanis Thianthong, President of the Sa Kaeo Provincial Administrative Organization, Mr. Anurak Thianthong, and Mr. Badee Thianthong. Ms. Trinuch is married to Professor Dr. Jesada Chokdamrongsuk, Rector of the College of Medicine at Rangsit University and former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health.
Her education includes completing high school at Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) School, class 18. She earned two bachelor's degrees from Assumption University in 1992, and in Finance and Investment from Western Illinois University, USA, in 1995, followed by a master's degree in Economics from the same university in 1997.
Ms. Trinuch was first elected as Member of Parliament for Sa Kaeo in 2001, and re-elected in 2005, representing the Thai Rak Thai Party. In the 2007 election, she won a third term under the Pracharat Party. She secured a fourth term in 2011 with the Pheu Thai Party. In 2018, she joined the Palang Pracharath Party, and was re-elected for a fifth term in the 2019 election.
On 22 March 2021, a royal decree appointed Ms. Trinuch as Minister of Education, making her the first woman to hold that position. In 2023, she won her sixth term as MP. Later, in September 2025, she was appointed Minister of Labour in the government of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand's 32nd prime minister. On 24 November 2025, she was named Secretary-General of the Palang Pracharath Party. Most recently, on 16 December 2025, Ms. Trinuch became the party's first female prime ministerial candidate.
