Thailand’s parliament has elected Paye Thongtan Shinawatra, the billionaire tycoon and daughter of former leader Thaksin, as prime minister.
At 37, she will become the country’s youngest prime minister and only the second female prime minister, after her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.
Her election comes just two days after former Prime Minister Sreta Thavisin was sacked by the Constitutional Court. Both are from the Pheu Thai Party, which came in second in the 2023 election but formed the ruling coalition.
Mrs. Phae Thong Than is the fourth person from the Shinawatra family to become prime minister in the past 20 years.
The other three, including her father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck, were ousted by military coups or Constitutional Court rulings.
The circumstances surrounding Ms. Paethongtan’s appointment highlight just how limited the powers of Thailand’s elected government are.
On Thursday, Ms. Paetongtarn said she admired Mr. Sreta’s achievements and thought his dismissal was unfortunate.
“We are here today to show the people that we are determined, we are passionate and we are ready to take the country forward,” she told reporters at her party’s headquarters on Thursday, after she was nominated as the prime minister.
She was educated at prestigious schools in Thailand and universities in the UK, and worked for several years at the Rende Hotel Group, owned by the Shinawatra family, where her husband serves as Vice President.
She joined the Pheu Thai Party in 2021 and was appointed party leader in October 2023.