Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan due to lack of buyers. On 30 June 2013 he was appointed Minister of Commerce and a deputy prime minister in the cabinet of Yingluck Shinawatra. On 7 May 2014, Niwatthamrong became acting Prime Minister following the removal of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and several members of her cabinet from office. On 22 May 2014 he was himself removed from office following a military coup. Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan (, , ; born 25 January 1948) is a Thai businessman and politician who served as the acting Prime Minister of Thailand following Yingluck Shinawatra's removal from office by the Constitutional
Acting prime minister is on vacation, or is in ill health. In the early 20th century, when travel by ship was still the norm, it was not uncommon for there to be an acting Prime Minister for months on end. The deputy Prime Minister is usually designated as the acting Prime Minister, although another senior member of the government may fill the role if both the Prime Minister and deputy Prime Minister are unavailable. An acting Prime Minister is required quite frequently – for instance, between 3 December 2007 and 23 February 2009 (during Kevin Rudd's first term), Julia Gillard acted as Prime