Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has been appointed as Thailand’s new prime minister, becoming the country’s youngest-ever leader and marking the return to power of the Shinawatra family, which has dominated Thai politics over the past two decades.
Her father was ousted from power by a military coup in 2006. Her aunt’s government suffered a similar fate eight years later. But now 37-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra, known by her nickname ‘Ung Ing’ is now the new Prime Minister of Thailand, CNN reported.
This is indeed groundbreaking as her election makes her the youngest person and second female after her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra to hold that office Thailand’s parliament voted on Friday for her to be the country’s next prime minister, thrusting another member of the kingdom’s most famed and divisive political dynasty into the top job.
This latest development came two days after Thailand’s Constitutional Court removed former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office. Paetongtarn, 37, won 319 votes in the House of Representatives, after being nominated as the sole candidate by her Pheu Thai party’s ruling coalition to replace Srettha. She still needs to be endorsed by King Maha Vajiralongkorn before she can officially take office and appoint a Cabinet.
A political neophyte, Paetongtarn was one of three prime ministerial candidates for Pheu Thai ahead of national elections in May last year and made international headlines when she gave birth just two weeks before the vote. Her appointment adds another twist to a years-long saga that has shaken up Thailand’s already-turbulent political landscape.
Paetongtarn, daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, brings a a mix of political background and business experience to the role. She holds degrees from Chulalongkorn University and the UK’s Surrey University, and has been CEO of Rende Development, overseeing hotel and golf course businesses.
Her ascension follows the Constitutional Court’s ruling on Wednesday that ousted her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, for breaching ethics rules in a Cabinet appointment.
