Bangkok, 16 August 2024 (TDI): Thailand’s parliament has picked Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of billionaire tycoon and former leader Thaksin, as prime minister.
At 37, she will be the country’s youngest prime minister and the second woman in the post, after her aunt Yingluck.
Her selection comes just two days after ex-PM Srettha Thavisin was dismissed by a constitutional court. Both are from the Pheu Thai Party, which came second at the last year election but formed a ruling coalition.
Paetongtarn is the fourth member of the Shinawatra clan to become leader in the past two decades.
The other three, including her father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck, were deposed by constitutional court rulings or military coups.
The circumstances of Paetongtarn’s appointment are a stark reminder of how constrained the power of elected governments is in the country.
On Thursday, Paetongtarn said she admired Srettha’s work and thought his dismissal was unfortunate.
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“We have gathered here today to show the people that we are driven, determined, and ready to push the nation forward,” she told reporters on Thursday at her party’s headquarters, where she was put forward as the candidate for the PM slot.
Educated at elite schools in Thailand and at university in the United Kingdom, she spent some years working at the Shinawatra family’s Rende hotel group, where her husband worked as deputy chief investment officer.
She joined Pheu Thai in 2021 and was appointed party leader in October last year.
