The Thai parliament has elected Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 37-year-old leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party and daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as the new prime minister.
- Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been elected as Thailand’s new prime minister after the removal of Srettha Thavisin by the Constitutional Court.
- She is the leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party and the youngest daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
- The court’s decision to remove Srettha Thavisin also led to the entire cabinet being ordered to step down due to constitutional breaches.
This comes after the previous prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, was removed from the position by the Constitutional Court. Paetongtarn gained majority support from the lower house members and will be forming a new government, pledging to continue her party’s policies. Srettha was dismissed for breaching the constitution, and the court also ordered the entire cabinet to step down.
Ms Paetongtarn is the third member of the Shinawatra family to hold the position, following in the footsteps of Thaksin and her aunt Yingluck. Thaksin’s brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat also briefly served in the role in 2008. Both Thaksin and Yingluck fled into exile after military coups against their government.
Thaksin returned to Thailand in August last year and was sentenced to eight years in prison, which was later reduced to one year due to a royal pardon, for abuse of authority and conflict of interest during his time in office from 2001-06. However, he did not actually serve any time in prison, as he was granted parole after staying for six months at the Police General Hospital.
