Thailand’s parliament votes for Paetongtarn Shinawatra to be next prime minister

Thailand’s parliament voted on Friday for Paetongtarn Shinawatra to be the country’s next prime minister, thrusting another member of the kingdom’s most famed and divisive political dynasty into the top job.

The vote came two days after Thailand’s Constitutional Court removed former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office, in a surprise decision that plunged the kingdom into further political uncertainty and raised fresh concern over the erosion of democratic rights.

Paetongtarn, 37, won 319 votes in the House of Representatives, after being nominated as the sole candidate by her Pheu Thai party’s ruling coalition to replace Srettha. She still needs to be endorsed by King Maha Vajiralongkorn before she can officially take office and appoint a Cabinet.

Paetongtarn will be Thailand’s second female prime minister, after her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra – and the youngest to hold the position.

A political newcomer, Paetongtarn was one of three prime ministerial candidates for Pheu Thai ahead of national elections in May last year and made international headlines when she gave birth just two weeks before the vote.

Her appointment adds another twist to a years-long saga that has shaken up Thailand’s already-turbulent political landscape.

Paetongtarn is the youngest daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup. Thaksin is one of Thailand’s most influential figures, whose economic and populist policies enabled him to build up a political machine that has dominated Thai politics for the past two decades.

Challenges ahead

Srettha’s dismissal on Wednesday was the latest blow to the Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai, which has frequently run afoul of Thailand’s conservative establishment – a small but powerful clique of military, royalist and business elites.

Political parties allied to Thaksin have struggled to hold on to power, having been forced out due to coups or court decisions.

Paetongtarn’s aunt Yingluck was removed from office before the military seized power in a 2014 coup, and her father Thaksin went into self-imposed exile in 2006 for more than 15 years to escape corruption charges after the military toppled his government.

Thaksin, a telecoms billionaire and former owner of Manchester City Football Club, returned to Thailand from exile in August last year.

He has retained an outsized grip on Thai politics and many saw him as continuing to influence the Pheu Thai party – firstly through his sister Yingluck and now through his daughter.

Thaksin’s dramatic return coincided with the Senate’s vote to appoint Srettha as the country’s 30th prime minister. Experts believe Thaksin struck a deal with the Thai establishment for his return and Srettha’s appointment, a claim he denies.

In a stunning about-face to win that vote, Pheu Thai joined with its former military rivals and became head of a multi-party governing coalition. The progressive Move Forward Party, which pulled off a stunning election victory last year with its hugely popular reform agenda, was prevented from forming a government and forced into opposition.

Last week, the Constitutional Court accused Move Forward of “undermining the monarchy” and ordered it to be disbanded, in a blow to the vibrant progressive movement and effectively disenfranchising 14 million people.

The former members have since reconstituted the party under a new name.

On Wednesday, the same court ruled Srettha breached ethics rules set in the constitution by appointing a lawyer – and Thaksin aide – who had served prison time to the Cabinet.

The two decisions were widely seen by observers as judicial overreach that sent a chilling message to those pushing for meaningful reform.

“In light of recent rulings, Thailand should be seen as semi-autocratic at best because people’s votes practically don’t matter.  The conservative establishment has the power to veto and manipulate to get preferred outcomes,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University.

This is a developing story and will be updated.