Thaksin's Daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra Becomes Thailand's Youngest Prime Minister

Bangkok:  Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was approved as the country's new Prime Minister on Friday, August 16. Shinawatra, 37, is the country's youngest leader. The appointment comes after the ouster of former PM Srettha Thavisin by the Constitutional Court two days ago over an ethics violation.

The Constitutional Court found Thavisin guilty of a serious ethical breach regarding his appointment of a Cabinet member who was jailed over an alleged bribery attempt.

Paetongtarn, leader of the ruling Pheu Thai party, secured 247 votes from the 493 members of parliament earning a majority to pass the vote. She was the sole nominee and got a majority of the votes in Parliament with the voting ongoing.

As per protocols, a candidate now needs a majority from the lower house or at least 247 votes. The current 11-party coalition led by Pheu Thai now has 314 lawmakers in the lower house and declared their unanimous support for Paetongtarn.

Paetongtarn became Thailand's fourth leader from the Shinawatra family after her billionaire father was ousted by a coup before returning from exile last year, and continues to be highly influential. Furthermore, Thaksin’s brother-in-law, Somchai Wongsawat, was prime minister in 2008, while his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, was prime minister from 2011 until 2014. Like Thavisin, Somchai and Yingluck were also forced from office by court rulings.

Thaksin is one of Thailand's most popular but divisive political figures. Despite being ousted, he is still widely seen as a de facto leader of Pheu Thai, the latest in a string of parties linked to him. His residual popularity and influence are a factor behind the political support for Paetongtarn.

However, Paetongtarn during the campaign trail acknowledged her family but asserted that she was not her father's proxy.

"It's not the shadow of my dad. I am my dad's daughter, always and forever, but I have my own decisions."

"Thaksin was a political force to reckon with, but he was also a liability. He tends to overplay his political hand, so serving in his shadow has never been easy," she told the media. 

Paetongtarn made her public entry into politics in 2021 when the Pheu Thai party announced that she would lead an inclusion advisory committee. She was appointed as the leader of Pheu Thai last year after she was also named one of its three prime ministerial candidates ahead of the polls.

(Inputs from AP)