Anutin firmly denies any incentives offered to "orange cobra" MPs in exchange for voting for the prime minister, suggesting that the policies might have resonated with them. He said he would thank them if he met them and emphasized that the greater the public's trust, the more one must overcome difficulties and press forward. He supports Dr. Warong's proposal to reduce MPs' meal and assistant expenses.
At 08:45 on 20 Mar 2026 GMT+7 Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, also leader of the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) gave an interview at Naewna Newspaper company regarding rumors that "orange cobra" MPs voted for the prime minister due to a bribe of 20 million baht plus a monthly salary of 400,000 baht. He said the prime minister's salary is only about 100,000 baht. He does not know where these claims come from and does not know the MP involved. He understands that the MP is from the Prachachon Party (PCN) but has never met him in person and believes this is his first term as MP. This is all the information he has. He does not know the reason why the MP voted for him, but he guarantees there was no incentive or payment offered.
/ Regarding whether the Bhumjaithai Party's votes are stable and an additional vote would make no difference, Anutin said, "That's right, the answer is in the question." But if he meets the MP, he would thank him for choosing him. The MP might have voted for him because his policies resonated with his constituency or struck a chord. He might have voted for him but still performs oversight. The entire Prachachon Party has voted for him before but also performs oversight.
When asked about entering a challenging situation, previously the Cambodia border issue and now the Iran issue, Anutin said since taking office, there have been major and minor crises. The government machinery is somewhat prepared. Cooperation between the government and private sectors is necessary and has been good. The government has put in full effort. Regarding this election, he understands well that every vote comes from expectations, trust, and pressure. Their working style has weathered many hardships. The more the public trusts them, the more they must persevere to avoid disappointing them.
/ He acknowledged that the prime minister's role helps a great deal because he works on a broad scale and is accessible, approachable, and open to criticism. He is willing to change course if things do not go well, listens to opinions, and makes decisions when necessary. This builds the public's trust and confidence reflected in the election results.
When reporters asked about Dr. Warong Dechgitvigrom, leader of the Thai Pakdee Party's three proposals: 1. Cancel MPs' lunch in parliament, 2. Reduce the number of assistants from 8 to 3, and 3. Abolish MPs' pensions, the prime minister said he agrees with all. Some things are excessive in this era where technology and convenience tools abound and can be reduced. He already agrees with cutting assistants from 8 to 3. Regarding MPs' pensions, he said it depends; it would be unfair to ask him personally as he supports himself. Some MPs genuinely represent the people and have never been ministers; they are trusted and not wealthy. On meals, if they can reduce them to necessary occasions and help cut the budget, that would be good. But cutting everything completely is unreasonable; there should be room for flexibility.