Who is Paetongtarn Shinawatra? Thai parliament votes for past prime minister's daughter as PM

The Thai parliament has elected Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the country's youngest prime minister ever, only a few days after Srettha Thavisin, the previous prime minister, was removed from office.

Her appointment on Friday August 16 risks fresh unrest in Thai politics. The nation's strong military-royalist establishment and the Shinawatra dynasty have battled frequently, leading to coups and the dismissal of supporters of her father, Thaksim Shinawatra, who was prime minister until 2006.

Tensions have been increasing over the last few months between Ms Shinawatra and her unstable alliance of erstwhile enemies. And now voters will want to be reassured that she will be answerable to them rather than to her father.

Her quick rise followed the removal of the previous prime minister from office by the constitutional court due to an ethical breach in a cabinet appointment. Mr Thavisin had held the position for less than a year.

At a news conference after her election on Friday, Ms Shinawatra said: “I really hope that I can make the people feel confident that we can build the opportunities and improve the quality of life and empower all the Thai people.”

But who exactly is she and what are some of her policies?

Who is Paetongtarn Shinawatra?

Ms Shinawatra is the youngest child of billionaire and founder of the Pheu Thai Party, Thaksin Shinawatra, who served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006. She is the second woman to be prime minister of Thailand – her aunt was the first.

The 37-year-old attended Bangkok's prestigious and conservative Chulalongkorn University and then assisted in managing the hotel division of her family's business empire. She started her political career in 2021 when she was appointed head of the inclusion and innovation advisory committee of the Pheu Thai Party.

Ms Shinawatra is her family's third member to be prime minister. In 2001, her father, Thaksin, became the first with the Thai Rak Thai Party. He was overthrown by a military coup in 2006.

Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra took over until 2011. However, she was removed by the constitutional court in 2014 after months of political unrest and another military coup. They both fled Thailand for self-imposed exile to avoid being arrested; however, Mr Shinawatra returned in August 2023.

What does Paetongtarn Shinawatra want to achieve?

Last year, when Ms Shinawatra ran for prime minister, she made several campaign pledges, such as cutting the cost of public transport in Bangkok, increasing access to healthcare and raising the minimum wage.During her first time in government, Ms Shinawatra will have to deal with Thailand's faltering economy, her party's declining support and the potential emergence of the opposition, which reorganised as the Peoples' Party following the Move Forwards Party’s collapse.

The constitutional court disbanded the Move Forwards Party on August 7, 2024 for allegedly breaching the constitution by suggesting a change to Article 112, a statute that forbids insulting the monarchy.