Photo: Chanakarn Laosarakham Agence France-Presse Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrives at the royal investiture ceremony to be named prime minister of Thailand, Sunday, in Bangkok.
Thanaporn Promyamyai – Agence France-Presse in Bangkok
Posted at 5:30 p.m.
- Asia
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of billionaire and controversial former prime minister Thaksin, was sworn in as head of the Thai government by King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Sunday, at the end of another turbulent political fortnight in the country.
At 37, Paetongtarn becomes the kingdom's youngest prime minister, after her predecessor Srettha Thavisin was dismissed in connection with a corruption case and the main opposition party was dissolved a week earlier.
She is the third Shinawatra to serve as prime minister, after her father Thaksin (2001-2006) and her aunt Yingluck (2011-2014), both of whom were overthrown in coups.
“As head of government, I will work wholeheartedly with parliament, open to all ideas to contribute to the country's development,” she said.
Paetongtarn received the royal mandate to form a government at a ceremony on Sunday at the headquarters of a former pro-Thaksin television station.
Thaksin Shinawatra, a 75-year-old billionaire who was forced into exile in 2008 due to corruption charges, was granted a royal pardon on Saturday and sat in the front row at the ceremony.
Paetongtarn leads a coalition led by his party, Pheu Thai, the latest incarnation of the political movement founded by his father in the early 2000s, but this coalition also includes supporters of the military, long opposed to Thaksin.
The kingdom has been fragmented for more than twenty years between a pro-monarchy old guard protected by the army and voters eager for change. These, according to the pro-democracy camp, believe that the will they expressed at the ballot box is not being respected.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000“I hope I can catalyze the energy of all generations, of all talented people in Thailand – the government, the coalition, civil servants, the private sector and the people,” Paetongtarn said Sunday.
Under the influence ?
The new leader is the third child of Thaksin, a former police officer who made his fortune in telecoms and was twice elected prime minister, in 2001 and 2005, before being overthrown in a coup in 2006.
She grew up in Bangkok and studied hospitality in the UK before running the hotel arm of the family empire until the end of 2022.
She had then entered politics with a view to the 2023 legislative elections, in which Pheu Thai came second, behind the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP). The party was dissolved on August 7, accused of lèse-majesté.
Although it came out on top in the legislative elections, the MFP was prevented from forming a government by conservative senators appointed by the junta, who were frightened by its reform plans.
Pheu Thai then reached an uneasy coalition agreement with pro-military parties that had previously been firmly opposed to Thaksin and his supporters, leading to the rise of Srettha Thavisin.
After less than a year, however, he became the third Pheu Thai prime minister to be expelled by the Constitutional Court, for appointing a minister convicted of corruption.
Paetongtarn will be scrutinized for signs of influence from her father, who is the most influential but controversial politician in modern Thai history.
At a news conference, she said she would seek Thaksin’s advice if needed, but insisted she was independent of him, with her own ideas and goals.
Asked whether he might play an official role as an adviser, Thaksin said: “Not necessary. I am old, I am 75; she can ask me whatever she wants.”
After being elected by a clear majority of MPs on Friday, Paetongtarn acknowledged her lack of experience but said she was ready to take on the challenge of “improving the quality of life and empowering all Thais.”
“She will have to work hard. Her advantage is that she is young and everyone is willing to help her. She is humble,” Thaksin said.