Shortly before her 38th birthday, Paetongtarn Shinawatra officially becomes Prime Minister of Thailand. The scion of an influential dynasty vows to provide sincere service to the nation.
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has appointed newly elected Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra as head of government. The head of state ceremonially confirmed Paetongtarn in office.
This will enable her to put together her cabinet. According to the Bangkok Post, the chairwoman of the ruling Pheu Thai party promised to “fulfill her duty to the best of her ability, show loyalty to the royal institution and act honestly for the greatest good of the public and the nation.” The 37-year-old, whose birthday is on August 21, is the youngest person to hold the post of prime minister of the Southeast Asian state and the second woman after her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.
On Friday, Paetongtarn was elected by parliament with a clear majority. The election followed the removal of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin by the Constitutional Court.
Family held Thailand’s strings in their hands several times
Paetongtarn, the offspring of the influential Shinawatra clan, is the daughter of billionaire and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin and his sister Yingluck each ruled for several years, but were then ousted by military coups. Thaksin fled the country in 2008 on legal charges to avoid a prison sentence. When he returned to Thailand in 2023, he was immediately imprisoned.
His prison sentence, which had since been reduced and suspended, ended today somewhat early thanks to a royal amnesty, Thai media reported. However, he is still charged with lese majeste.
In recent decades, Thailand has seen repeated coups, military governments and street protests by the democracy movement. Just recently, under pressure from conservative forces, the Constitutional Court ordered the dissolution of the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) – the actual winner of the 2023 parliamentary election.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
