“As head of government, I will work with parliament with an open heart and be open to all ideas that contribute to the development of the country,” she said after the ceremony in Bangkok. The daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had previously been appointed the new head of government of the Southeast Asian country by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Parliament had already elected the 37-year-old as the new prime minister on Friday. Before taking office, Paetongtarn received the king’s written order to form a new government at a ceremony on Sunday. She then called on the people to work together to help revive the Southeast Asian country’s economy, which has been weakened by the corona pandemic.
The task of moving the country forward “cannot be accomplished by the prime minister alone,” said Paetongtarn. “I hope that I will be able to coordinate the forces of all generations, all talented people in Thailand – from the cabinet, the coalition, the civil servants, the private sector and the people.”
Paetongtarn’s father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, also attended the appointment ceremony. 23 years ago, his daughter stood behind him at this point, he told journalists afterwards. “But today I stand behind her.” She has to “work hard,” he added. “Her strength is that she is young, she can ask anyone for help – she is modest.”
Paetongtarn was previously nominated for the post by the ruling Pheu Thai Party, which is largely controlled by her family. She replaces the current Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who was removed from office by the Thai Constitutional Court on Wednesday. This is the third time that a member of the billionaire family has headed the government in Bangkok. At 37, Paetongtarn Shinawatra is also the youngest head of government in the history of the kingdom.
20 years of instability
Thai politics has endured two decades of chronic instability, with repeated coups, street protests and momentous court rulings, as well as the long-running power struggle between the military and the royalist establishment against the influence of the Shinawatra family and other progressive parties in the country.
Paetongtarn’s predecessor Srettha is also close to the billionaire family. He was accused of violating ethical principles by appointing a politician with a previous conviction for bribery as a minister. The case against him was brought by a group of former senators who had been appointed by the military leadership in Thailand.
Not an easy job
Conservative senators, the Constitutional Court and the military could also pose a threat to the new head of government: her father Thaksin was ousted from office by the military in 2006 and then fled into exile. Her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra was removed from office by the Constitutional Court in 2014 after mass protests, similar to what happened to Srettha.
The opposition party Move Forward (MFP) won most of the seats in parliament in the elections almost a year ago, but conservative senators prevented the party from forming a government. The Constitutional Court dissolved the party last week, which Western governments criticized as a step backwards for democracy in Thailand.