Thailand’s parliament has selected Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of billionaire tycoon and former leader Thaksin, as prime minister.
At 37, she becomes the country’s youngest PM and the second woman to hold the position, following her aunt Yingluck.
Her selection comes just two days after former PM Srettha Thavisin was dismissed by a constitutional court. Both leaders are from the Pheu Thai Party, which came second in the 2023 election but formed a ruling coalition.
Ms. Paetongtarn faces the challenging task of reviving Thailand’s stalled economy and avoiding the military coups and court interventions that have deposed four previous administrations led by her party.
“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 Shinawatra, who received 319 endorsements and 145 votes against her, 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 her aunt Yingluck, were deposed by military coups or constitutional court rulings.
The same court dismissed former PM Srettha Thavisin on Wednesday for appointing a former lawyer who had previously been jailed to his cabinet.
On Friday, Ms. Paetongtarn expressed her “confusion” and “great sadness” over Mr. Srettha’s dismissal.
She decided it was “about time to do something for the party and for the country” after consultations with Mr. Srettha and her family.
Her father, Thaksin, called to encourage her to “do your best” and expressed his joy at being able to witness her assume the role in his later years.
Educated at elite schools in Thailand and at a university in the UK, Ms. Paetongtarn worked at the Shinawatra family’s Rende hotel group, where her husband serves as deputy chief investment officer. She joined Pheu Thai in 2021 and became party leader in October 2023.
Her appointment brings fresh energy to Thailand’s top leadership, with Pheu Thai members hopeful that she can help revitalize the party’s political fortunes.
Thaksin first became prime minister in 2001, but his second term ended abruptly with a military coup in 2006.
He returned to Thailand after 15 years in exile last October, just hours before Mr. Srettha was elected PM. His return was part of a grand bargain with his old conservative enemies, who are now coalition partners with Pheu Thai.
In June, Thaksin was charged with insulting the monarchy, making him the most prominent figure to face charges under Thailand’s controversial lese majeste law.
Wednesday’s ruling to dismiss Mr. Srettha is seen by many as a warning to Thaksin, who remains a dominant figure in Pheu Thai, to moderate his ambitions.
Ms. Paetongtarn led Pheu Thai’s campaign in last year’s election while in the final stages of pregnancy, earning her widespread admiration.
“I think after eight years the people want better politics, better solutions for the country than just coup d’etats,” she told the BBC at the time. “They are seeking policies that will help their lives.”
The election winner, Move Forward, was blocked from forming the government by the military-appointed senate, which allowed for the formation of a Pheu Thai-led coalition with Mr. Srettha as PM.
Earlier this month, the constitutional court dissolved Move Forward and imposed a decade-long political ban on 11 of its leaders.
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