Thailand’s king has officially endorsed Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a member of the nation’s most renowned and controversial political dynasty, as the new prime minister.
Her appointment comes after a turbulent week in Thai politics, during which the Constitutional Court removed Srettha Thavisin, her predecessor from the same Pheu Thai party.
At 37 years old, Paetongtarn becomes Thailand’s youngest-ever prime minister and its second female prime minister, following her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra, who is also her father Thaksin Shinawatra’s sister.
On Sunday, King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s endorsement was formally conveyed to Paetongtarn by the secretary of the House of Representatives at Pheu Thai headquarters in Bangkok. She knelt and paid homage to the king’s portrait before delivering a brief speech to express her gratitude.
"I, along with my family and the Pheu Thai party, deeply appreciate His Majesty’s generosity. I am committed to fulfilling my duties with loyalty and integrity for the benefit of the nation and its people," she stated.
She is set to appoint a 35-member cabinet and will lead them in taking an oath before the king. Additionally, she announced that her new government will advance a soft-power initiative that leverages Thailand’s rich historical and modern cultures, as well as its tourism sector.
When asked by reporters if her appointment would be viewed as a return of the Shinawatra dynasty, Paetongtarn Shinawatra said she would not be swayed by others’ opinions. She noted that while she might seek advice from her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, she has her own vision and emphasized that he will not have any role in her administration.
She committed to prioritizing the nation’s problems and vowed to work collaboratively with all parties. “No one wants to repeat what happened to my father and my aunt,” Paetongtarn stated.
Thaksin’s economic and populist policies established a political machine that has dominated Thailand for the past two decades, despite his removal in a 2006 coup. However, parties associated with the telecom billionaire—and former owner of Manchester City Football Club—have faced challenges in maintaining power, often being displaced by coups or court rulings.
Yingluck Shinawatra was ousted from office before the military took power in a 2014 coup, while Thaksin Shinawatra went into self-imposed exile in 2006 to evade corruption charges after the military overthrew his government. He returned to Thailand from exile in August of last year.
================================================================
advertisement
Last week, the Constitutional Court ruled that Srettha Thavisin violated ethics rules by appointing a lawyer, who had previously served time in prison and was also a Thaksin aide, to his cabinet.
Srettha’s removal was the latest setback for the Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai party, which has frequently clashed with Thailand’s conservative establishment—a powerful yet small group of military, royalist, and business elites.
On Friday, the national parliament elected Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister after she was nominated as the sole candidate by Pheu Thai’s ruling coalition. She was one of three prime ministerial contenders for the party ahead of the May national elections and gained international attention for giving birth just two weeks before the vote.
.webp)
0 Comments