Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been elected by a majority of lower house MPs this morning to the position of Prime Minister of Thailand. She is the youngest daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra. She would be the third PM carrying the name ‘Shinawatra’, Thailand’s youngest PM, and is a mother of two.
She is Thailand’s 31st prime minister and steps into the job after the Constitutional Court dismissed Srettha Thavison over a ‘breach of ethics’ issue relating to his nomination of a past felon to a post in the prime minister’s office.
The continuity of the Thai government continues and the Pheu Thai Party’s agenda remains the same, although the proposed 10,000 baht digital hand-out may be reviewed. It was reported last night that Paetongtarn’s father, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, is against the free hand-out to Thais as it could further weaken the country’s weak economy.
In the end, 319 MPs voted for her – the entire coalition bloc of MPs. 145 voted against her – the opposition People’s Party (formerly Move Forward Party). And 27 abstained – mostly the entire Democrat Party bloc.
