Thailand’s parliament has chosen Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 37-year-old daughter of billionaire and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as the country’s new prime minister.
Paetongtarn will be the youngest person ever to hold the office and the second woman to do so, following her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra.
Her appointment follows the dismissal of former PM Srettha Thavisin by a constitutional court just two days earlier. Both Paetongtarn and Thavisin are from the Pheu Thai Party, which, despite finishing second in the 2023 elections, managed to form a ruling coalition.
Paetongtarn now faces the challenge of rejuvenating Thailand’s stagnant economy while navigating the political instability that has seen four previous administrations from her party ousted through military coups and judicial actions.
“I really hope that I can make people feel confident that we can build opportunities and to improve the qualify of life and to empower all Thais,” Ms Paetongtarn told reporters after the vote on Friday.
She was visibly overwhelmed, syaing her hands were trembling from excitement.
She acknowledged that she is “neither the best, nor the most talented one in the room”.
“But I always think I have a strong will and I have a good team… My team is strong, experienced, determined and we share the same ideas. That’s something I value highly,” she said.
Ms Paetongtarn, who received 319 endorsement and 145 against votes, is the fourth member of the Shinawatra clan to become prime minister in the past two decades.
The other three, including her father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck, were deposed by military coups or constitutional court rulings.
The same court dismissed Mr Thavisin on Wednesday for appointing to his cabinet a former lawyer who was once jailed.
On Friday, Ms Paetongtarn said she was “confused” and “very sad” to learn about Mr Srettha’s dismissal.
She decided it was “about time to do something for the party and for the country” after speaking to him and to her family, she said.
She mentioned that her father, Mr. Thaksin, called her to offer encouragement, urging her to “do your best” and expressing his happiness at being able to witness her take on the role in his later years.
Educated at prestigious institutions in Thailand and the UK, Paetongtarn Shinawatra worked for the Shinawatra family’s Rende hotel group, where her husband is the deputy chief investment officer. She joined the Pheu Thai Party in 2021 and became its leader in October 2023.
Her appointment infuses new energy into Thailand’s leadership. The Pheu Thai Party may be hopeful that her leadership will revitalize its political standing.
Thaksin Shinawatra first served as Thailand’s prime minister starting in 2001, but his second term was cut short by a military coup in 2006.
He returned to Thailand in October of the previous year, just before Mr. Srettha was elected as prime minister. His return was part of a major political deal with his former conservative opponents, who now form a coalition with Pheu Thai.