Thailand’s king has officially endorsed Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a member of the country’s most famous and fractious political dynasty, as its next prime minister.
Her nomination comes after a week of political upheaval in Thailand, including the Constitutional Court’s removal of her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, from the same Pheu Thai party.
Paetongtarn, the country’s youngest prime minister, is the 37-year-old daughter of ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra. She succeeds her aunt and Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, as Thailand’s second female prime minister.
Thailand’s King Endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra As New Prime Minister
On Sunday, the secretary of the House of Representatives read King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s consent to her at the Pheu Thai headquarters in Bangkok.
Paetongtarn kneeled and paid reverence to a portrait of the king before delivering a brief thank-you speech.
“This is the highest honour and pride in my life,” she remarked after receiving the endorsement.
“My family and the Pheu Thai party immensely appreciate His Majesty’s generosity. “I am determined to carry out my duties with loyalty and honesty for the benefit of the nation and the people,” she said.
She will likely form a 35-member cabinet and lead the ministers in swearing an oath to the king. The new government, she said, will continue to pursue a soft-power campaign that draws on the country’s history, modern traditions, and tourism.
When asked if her appointment would be interpreted as restoring a dynasty, Paetongtarn replied outside influences would not sway her. She stated she may seek counsel from her father, but she has her ideas, and Thaksin will not be involved in the administration.
Thailand’s King Endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra As New Prime Minister
She committed to prioritizing national issues and working with all parties.
“No one wants to repeat what happened to my father and aunt,” Paetongtarn explained.
Thaksin’s economic and populist initiatives allowed him to create a political machine that has governed the country for the past two decades despite his removal in a 2006 coup.
However, parties aligned with the telecom mogul – and former owner of Manchester City Football Club – still need to maintain power, having previously been thrown out owing to coups or court decisions.
Yingluck was ousted from office before the military seized control in a 2014 coup, and Thaksin fled into self-imposed exile in 2006 to avoid corruption accusations after his administration was deposed. He returned to Thailand from exile in August of last year.
The Constitutional Court found last week that Srettha violated ethical standards by adding a lawyer – and Thaksin aide – to his cabinet who had previously served time in prison.
Thailand’s King Endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra As New Prime Minister
Srettha’s removal was the latest blow to Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party, which has regularly clashed with Thailand’s conservative establishment – a small but strong group of military, royalist, and corporate leaders.
Pheu Thai’s ruling alliance nominated Paetongtarn as the lone candidate to succeed Srettha, and the national parliament voted her in on Friday.
She was one of the Pheu Thai party’s three prime ministerial candidates in the May national elections, and she made international news when she delivered birth two weeks before the vote.
SOURCE | CNN
