- Paetongtarn Shinawatra becomes youngest-ever Thai leader
- She becomes the country’s youngest PM and the second woman to hold the position
- She faces significant challenges, including reviving Thailand’s economy and steering clear of the military coups
- She received 319 votes in favour and 145 against in parliament
Paetongtarn Shinawatra becomes youngest-ever Thai leader
Thailand’s parliament has elected 37-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, as the new prime minister. She becomes the country’s youngest PM and the second woman to hold the position, following her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.
Paetongtarn’s rise to power comes shortly after former PM Srettha Thavisin was dismissed by a constitutional court. Both belong to the Pheu Thai Party, which secured the second position in the 2023 election but managed to form a ruling coalition. She faces significant challenges, including reviving Thailand’s economy and steering clear of the military coups and court rulings that have toppled previous Shinawatra-led governments.
Paetongtarn’s appointment marks the fourth time a member of her family has become prime minister in the last 20 years, following her father Thaksin, her aunt Yingluck, and now herself. She received 319 votes in favour and 145 against in parliament. Educated in Thailand and the UK, she joined Pheu Thai in 2021 and became party leader in October 2023.
After two decades of chaos caused by royalists and the military to get the Shinawatra clan out of politics, Thailand has another prime minister from the same family. The royalist elite and military have achieved literally nothing.
— Andrew MacGregor Marshall (@zenjournalist) August 16, 2024
Meanwhile, millions of Thais have suffered… pic.twitter.com/I9lSxoNdah