Chuan Leekpai (1938– )

Thai politician, prime minister 1992–95 and 1997–2001. Representing the centre-left Democrat Party (DP), he served in a succession of ministerial positions 1975–91 before becoming prime minister in September 1992, after a DP-sponsored pro-democracy campaign. This coalition government collapsed in 1995, and a new government was formed by Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, and Chuan was leader of the opposition. However, in 1996, with East Asia's financial crisis, popular outrage brought down Chavalit's coalition, and in 1997 Chuan returned as prime minister as well as minister of defence. Under Chuan's leadership, the DP hastily cobbled together an eight-party coalition, which embarked upon economic reform. As the economy contracted in 1998, the government launched austerity measures, which involved the repatriation of many foreign workers. The government also implemented a new constitution and electoral system.

Chuan's 1992–95 administration sought to liberalize the financial system, promote rural development, decentralize government, and tackle corruption. However, although viewed as less corrupt than preceding administrations, it eventually collapsed over a scandal concerning the working of its land distribution programme, in which Chuan was not personally implicated.

A lawyer by profession, Chuan studied for the bar before being elected a member of the house of representatives for his native Trang Province in 1969. In 1975 he was named deputy minister of justice, and later served as minister to the prime minister's office (1976), minister of justice (1980), minister of commerce (1981), minister of agriculture and cooperatives (1982–83), minister of education (1983–86), speaker of the house of representatives (1986–88), minister of public health (1988–89), and both deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture and cooperatives in 1990.