Thailand has elected its youngest ever prime minister following months of political upheaval. At 37, Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the daughter of Thailand’s former billionaire prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, 75, who founded the Pheu Thai party and was in office between 2001 – 2006.
His daughter is the fourth member of the Shinawatra family to lead the country. Thaksin’s brother-in-law, Somchai Wongsawat, was prime minister for just three months after he was found guilty of electoral fraud in late 2008.
Paetongtarn is the second woman ever to be Thailand’s PM. Her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, was the first woman to lead the country between 2011 to 2014.
Paetongtarn was elected to lead the country of almost 72 million just days after her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, was sacked after the Constitutional Court found he had breached ethical rules when he appointed to his cabinet a former lawyer who served jail time.
On Sunday, Paetongtarn was sworn in as the new head of government, two days after she won a vote by nearly two-thirds by members in the House of Representatives.
Shinawatra, leader of the Pheu Thai Party, has been formally endorsed by the king of Thailand, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, whose written royal command was read out by the House of Representatives Secretary at a ceremony in Bangkok.
Shinawatra, attending the ceremony in official uniform, thanked the king and the people’s representatives for endorsing her as the country’s 31st prime minister.
“I hope that I can do my best to make the country go forward,” Shinawatra said.
“As head of the executive branch, I will do my duty together with the legislators with an open heart. I will listen to all opinions so together we can take the country forward with stability.”
During her first news conference as PM, Shinawatra described her emotions, saying: “I get on stage very often, and I don’t get excited at all, but today my hands are shaking”.
She revealed she had spoken to her parents over Facetime: “[My father] said to do my best and teased me that he’s happy to see that his daughter has the position [of prime minister] before he has Alzheimer’s. My mum also told me to take care of myself.”
She announced plans to focus on “major” economic reform, fight illegal drugs, boost the country’s universal healthcare system and improve gender diversity.
Addressing the government’s failure to deliver its flagship digital wallet policy, which promised to give 10,000 baht (about $AUD430) to 50 million citizens in digital money to spend at local businesses, Shinawatra said she would “study and listen to additional options” to ensure the scheme is fiscally responsible.
“The goal is to stimulate the economy so this intention remains,” she said.
In last year’s election, she campaigned for her Pheu Thai party while pregnant and continued to work days after giving birth to her second child. Her party was forced to strike a deal to form a coalition with military-linked parties in order to push the youth-led anti-establishment party, Move Forward into opposition.
The popular youth party secured the most votes in May 2023 after promising reforms to make the country more democratic and disband big monopolies.
Despite being surrounded by political players all her life, Shinawatra’s political career only began three years ago, when she was elected chief of the Pheu Thai party’s Inclusion and Innovation Advisory Committee.
Before entering politics, she studied at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and worked at a hotel belonging to her family’s business empire.
The military-royalist elite begins her term as PM amidst a violate political environment. She has already been criticised for publicly acknowledging her father, with some believing that she is in her position of power due to her family name.
Critics have accused her predecessor Srettha, and Paetongtarn herself of being puppets for the real decision-maker behind Pheu Thai — her father.
According to one journalist though, senior party leaders and coalition partners are backing the young leader.
“She hasn’t chosen the cabinet yet, but we presume from the people who are with her today that her cabinet will be much the same as it was under her predecessor,” Tony Cheng said.