Thailand has the youngest Prime Minister in its history.

On August 16, the Speaker of the Thai Parliament , Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, convened a plenary session of the 493-member House of Representatives to elect a new Prime Minister to replace Srettha Thavisin, who had just been removed from office by the Constitutional Court.

Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks at a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: GETTY IMAGES/VNA

The sole candidate in this election is Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leader of the Pheu Thai party, which heads the ruling coalition and currently holds 314 out of 493 seats in the House of Representatives. According to Thai election law, Paetongtarn needs a minimum majority of 247 votes to be elected Prime Minister .

As a result, Ms. Paetongtarn received 319 votes in favor, 145 against, and 27 abstentions. Two members of the House of Representatives did not attend the meeting. Thus, Ms. Paetongtarn was elected, becoming the 31st and youngest Prime Minister in Thailand's history. She is also the second female Prime Minister in the history of Thailand and the third member of the Shinawatra family to hold this position, after her father, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, and her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra.

Ms. Paetongtarn, also affectionately known as “Ung-ing”, was born on August 21, 1986, in the United States. She is the third and youngest child of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his ex-wife, Potjaman Na Pombejra. Ms. Paetongtarn graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, Sociology, and Anthropology from the Faculty of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University in 2008 and earned a Master's degree in International Hotel Management from the University of Surrey in the UK.

Prior to entering politics, Ms. Paetongtarn was the CEO of Rende Development Co. Ltd., a company that manages assets owned by the Shinawatra family, including SC Park Hotel, Alpine Golf & Sports Club, and Thames Valley Khao Yai Hotel. She is a major shareholder in the real estate giant SC Asset Corporation and a director of the Thaicom Foundation. She also holds stakes in approximately 20 other companies in the real estate, telecommunications, and media sectors. Before assuming the role of Prime Minister, Ms. Paetongtarn will have to relinquish her business activities and comply with shareholding restrictions.

She is married to Pidok Sooksawas and has two children. Prior to the May 2023 general election, Paetongtarn was one of three candidates for Prime Minister from the Pheu Thai party. After the Pheu Thai party won the right to form a government with Srettha elected as Prime Minister, Paetongtarn continued to hold a high-ranking position within the Pheu Thai party and was elected party leader on October 27, 2023. As a member of former Prime Minister Srettha's government, Paetongtarn was recently appointed Vice Chair of two national committees on soft power strategy and public health system development, both chaired by the current Prime Minister.

The Thai private sector has offered positive assessments of Paetongtarn's election as the country's new Prime Minister. Kriengkrai Thiennukul, President of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), believes that Paetongtarn can help forge a link between the new and old generations in Thailand, thus her young age is a strength rather than a hindrance. Kriengkrai believes that under Paetongtarn's leadership, most of the policies introduced by the Pheu Thai party will continue as planned.

The Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC), Sanan Angubolkul, shared a similar view, stating that the incoming government (still led by the Pheu Thai party) will likely continue most of its economic policies to restore confidence among Thai and foreign investors. Mr. Sanan expressed hope that a new cabinet will be formed as soon as possible to avoid creating a vacuum in governance and budget disbursement. He also hoped the government would continue to enhance Thailand's competitiveness internationally and negotiate free trade agreements with more partners to boost the export sector.

VNA

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/thai-lan-co-thu-tuong-tre-nhat-trong-lich-su-post754362.html