Paetongtarn Shinawatra – the new Prime Minister of Thailand. Who is she?

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former billionaire prime minister Thaksin, was sworn in as prime minister on Sunday Thailand by King Rama X

Two days ago, parliament elected the 37-year-old to the position after the previous head of government, Srettha Thavisin, was ousted by Constitutional Tribunal. She was the only candidate and in the hour-long voting she received 319 votes in support, 145 against and 27 abstentions.

Paetongtarn is the youngest person and second woman in the kingdom's history to serve as prime minister. She is also the third member of the Shinawatra family to hold the office, following her father Thaksin (2001-2006) and aunt Yingluck (2011-2014), who were both overthrown in a coup.

Paetongtarn received the royal mandate to form a government at a ceremony held on Sunday.

Dressed in her military uniform, Paetongtarn fell to her knees and paid homage before a portrait of King Rama X, before delivering a short speech thanking the monarch and the people's representatives for supporting her as prime minister.

– As head of government, I will cooperate wholeheartedly with the parliament, open to all ideas to contribute to the development of the country – she declared.

The new prime minister is the third child of Thaksin, a former policeman who made his fortune in the telecommunications industry and was elected prime minister twice, in 2001 and 2005, before being ousted in a coup in 2006. He lived in exile for 15 years.

Thaksin, originally sentenced last year to eight years in prison for abuse of office and embezzlement, received a royal pardon on Saturday and sat in the front row at Sunday's ceremony.

During a press conference, Paetongtarn said she had no plans to appoint her father to any government position but would seek his advice.

Paetongtarn grew up in Bangkok and studied hotel management in the U.K. She entered politics three years ago with an eye on the 2023 general election, in which her Pheu Thai party came second to the progressive Move Forward Party (MF). Although MF won the election, it did not form a government, and on Aug. 7 was dissolved by the decision of the Constitutional Tribunal due to accusations of attempting to overthrow the royal power.

Paetongtarn, although not an MP, is the head of a coalition government led by Pheu Thai – the next incarnation of the political movement founded by her father in the early 21st century.

After the 2023 election, Pheu Tai struck an uneasy coalition deal with pro-military parties that had once staunchly opposed Thaksin, choosing Srettha Thavisin as prime minister, but he was removed from office by the Constitutional Tribunal less than a year later for appointing a minister convicted of corruption.

However, during her first press conference, Paetongtran said she would continue her predecessor's policies, including stimulating and reforming the economy, combating drugs and improving the universal health care system.

Reuters noted that Paetongtarn will immediately have to face challenges on multiple fronts, with the economy in trouble and the falling popularity of her party, which has not yet implemented its flagship 500 billion baht (nearly 56 billion zloty) social programme.