Thailand’s king formally appointed Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of controversial former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as the new head of government of the Asian country on Sunday (18).
At the age of 37, Paetongtarn received the written order from King Maha Vajiralongkorn to form a government, in a ceremony held in Bangkok shortly after 9:30 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. Saturday in Brasilia) GMT).
She is the third member of the Shinawatra family to take office, after her father and aunt Yingluck, who were ousted in military coups.
Her appointment makes her Thailand’s youngest prime minister, taking over after a court ousted the previous head of government and dissolved the main opposition party.
Paetongtarn heads a coalition government led by his party, Pheu Thai, along with pro-military movements opposed to Thaksin.
“As head of government, I will work with Parliament, with an open heart, open to all ideas to help develop the country,” he declared.
Her appointment as prime minister was approved by parliament on Friday, when she acknowledged her lack of experience but said she was ready to take on the challenge of “improving the quality of life and empowering all Thais”.
In recent decades, Thailand has been embroiled in a tumultuous power struggle between Thaksin and his allies, the pro-military conservatives and the royalist elite.
2024-08-18 14:21:32