Thaksin's 37-year-old daughter becomes Thailand's PM

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has been officially elected as Thailand's Prime Minister. Her election marks her as the youngest prime minister in the country's history. She has become the second female prime minister after her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, who held the position from 2011 to 2014. This also makes her the first female prime minister to rise to power in Thailand in nearly a decade.

According to Reuters and other news agencies, Paetongtarn, running as the sole candidate from the coalition government party led by the Pheu Thai Party, secured a majority of votes in the House of Representatives' prime ministerial election on Friday (local time). Her election comes just two days after the Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on corruption charges.

Paetongtarn, the youngest of Thaksin Shinawatra's three children, has quickly ascended the political ladder. Her father, a dominant figure in Thai politics, returned to Thailand last year after 15 years in exile following a military coup in 2006. Thaksin’s return, despite facing imprisonment, was largely seen as a strategic move, anticipating that his daughter’s rise to power could lead to his pardon. He is currently on parole.

Paetongtarn's political career began in 2021 when she joined the Pheu Thai Party, leveraging her father's enduring influence. In the general election held in May last year, the Pheu Thai Party emerged as the second-largest party in parliament, following the Move Forward Party.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com