Thailand has a new prime minister with a fresh face but a familiar name.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, backed by the ruling Pheu Thai party, was unanimously elected to the role on Friday by Thailand’s parliament. She is Thailand’s 31st prime minister, the youngest in history and only the second woman to take on the role.
But in other respects, Thailand has been here before. Paetongtarn is the third member of the Shinawatra family to serve as prime minister since 2001, following in the footsteps of her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra, and her father, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Paetongtarn received 319 votes in Thailand’s House of Representatives after being nominated as the sole candidate by the MPs of her ruling Pheu Thai party coalition.
Following her election, a gleeful-looking Paetongtarn spoke to reporters, expressing gratitude and insisting she can withstand any scrutiny.
“I can handle the pressure. In my approach to politics, I don’t view myself as the best or most talented person in the room. Instead, I focus on having a clear sense of purpose and building a strong, united team,” she said.
Paetongtarn still needs the endorsement of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, which is expected to come on Sunday evening. After that, she officially takes office and can appoint her Cabinet.
Reactions to prime minister
Anutin Charnvirakul, the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, declared that his MPs are solidly behind Paetongtarn, and that her age should not be a concern. Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the leader of the People’s Party, the successors to the dissolved Move Forward Party, said the new prime minister must solve problems at the root of Thailand’s issues.
A letter of congratulations was also issued by former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the president of Cambodia’s Senate.
At 37 years old, Paetongtarn may offer a new approach to Thailand’s premiership.
She describes herself as “socially liberal” and has supported LGBTQ+ rights and Thailand’s recently passed marriage equality law. But Paetongtarn has also said she wants Thailand to take a harder stance on drugs and opposes any amendment to Thailand’s lèse majesté law.
Her social media activity may endear her to new supporters. She posts snippets of her life with her husband and two young children, giving her followers an image of a warm, family-orientated woman who experiences everyday problems despite her powerful family.
But she is the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin, the billionaire founder of Pheu Thai, returned last year from 15 years of self-exile following corruption charges after having been ousted as prime minister in 2006.
He remains hugely influential among his supporters and peers, and that means it will be difficult to fully determine his influence on Paetongtarn, one political scientist says.
“How can we be sure that Paetongtarn, as prime minister, answers to the Thai public and not her father?” said Napon Jatusripitak, visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
“It seems inevitable that her relationship with her father, and any power asymmetry inherent in this relationship, will significantly impact the political and policy direction of this government,” he told VOA by phone.
Pravit Rojanaphruk, a veteran journalist at Khaosod English and political analyst in Thailand, told VOA that Thaksin’s presence is too difficult to ignore.
“That Paetongtarn is [a] daughter of Thaksin is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because people know she represents Thaksin, and if you are a Thaksin supporter, you will give Paetongtarn all your support.
“And a curse because people know she represents Thaksin and if you are a Thaksin hater, or anti-Thaksinnite, Paetongtarn could hardly do anything right. Thaksin is like durian [fruit], you either love or loathe him,” he said.
Thaksin remains under the watchful eye of the Thailand monarchy, after he was charged under the lèse majesté law for anti-royalty comments made in 2015.
And with Paetongtarn’s aunt Yingluck in self-exile after she too was ousted as prime minister in 2014, Paetongtarn remains vulnerable to Thailand’s establishment. The Constitutional Court’s surprise removal of former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin shows how brutal Thai politics can be.
The court removed Srettha from his role with immediate effect on Wednesday in a 5-to-4 vote. He was accused of committing an “ethical violation” by appointing an MP to his Cabinet who had previously been imprisoned for an alleged attempt to bribe an official.
Only a week earlier, Thailand’s Constitutional Court dissolved the Move Forward Party. The party won the most seats in Thailand’s general election in 2023 but was blocked from forming a government by the Thai Senate. The court ruled the party’s pledges to reform the lèse majesté law were aimed at toppling the monarchy.
