Thailand's new Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of controversial former premier Thaksin, pledged to improve the kingdom's sluggish economy when she was officially sworn in Sunday.
Paetongtarn, 37, Thailand's youngest prime minister, came to power after a court dismissed the previous premier and dissolved the main opposition party. The incident has exacerbated already fraught political tensions in Thailand.
She is the third member of the Shinawatra family to become prime minister, but she hopes to avoid the fate of her father and aunt Yingluck, who were ousted in a military coup.
On Sunday, Paetongtarn received a formal written order from King Maha Vajiralongkorn at a ceremony at the headquarters of a former pro-Thaksin TV station. He was ordered to form a new government.
He called on all Thais to work together to help restore the country's economy, which is still struggling to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As head of government, I will work with parliament with an open heart, open to all ideas to help build the country,” he said after the ceremony.
“My fellow Thai people, this task cannot be done by the prime minister alone. I hope I can coordinate the strength of all generations, all talented people in Thailand, from the cabinet, the coalition, the civil service, the private sector, and the people.”
Thaksin (75 years old), was present as an important figure in the ceremony, standing next to Paetongtarn's husband in the front row.
“He has to work hard. The advantage is that he is young, he can ask anyone for help, he is humble,” Thaksin told reporters after the ceremony.
“Twenty-three years ago it stood behind me, but today I stand behind it.”
Paetongtarn leads a coalition government headed by his Pheu Thai party, the latest incarnation of the political movement founded by his father in the early 2000s. The coalition also includes several pro-military groups that have long opposed Thaksin.
He came to power after the Constitutional Court dismissed the previous prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, on Wednesday (14/8). Thavisin was accused of violating ethics rules by appointing a cabinet minister who had been convicted of a crime.
Thailand has been gripped for more than 20 years by a power struggle between Thaksin and his allies and a conservative, pro-military, pro-royal elite.
Paetongtarn is a newcomer who ran the family hotel business until late 2022, before entering politics ahead of last year's general election, in which Pheu Thai surprisingly lost and came in second to the Move Forward Party (Move Forward Party/MFP) which is progressive.
The Controversial Father
Although the MFP won the most seats in last year's election, it has been blocked from forming a government by conservative senators appointed by the junta. The senators are wary of the MFP's promises to reform royal insult laws and break up powerful business monopolies.
This situation allowed Pheu Thai to reach a difficult coalition agreement with pro-military parties that had previously been strongly opposed to Thaksin and his followers, which ultimately led to Srettha's rise to power.
Less than a year later, he became the third prime minister from a Thaksin-backed party to be ousted by the Constitutional Court.
Paetongtarn will be closely watched by the public who will want to see if he retains any influence from his father, a highly influential but controversial politician in modern Thai history.
In a press conference, he told reporters that he would seek Thaksin's advice if necessary, but stressed that he was not dependent on him and had his own ideas and goals.
When asked if Thaksin would take on an official role as his adviser, Thaksin said: “There's no need. I'm old. I'm 75, he can ask me anything.”
In the early 2000s, he transformed royal politics with populist policies that earned him and his party loyal support among rural people, and two election victories.
However, that success came at a high price: he was hated by Thailand's ruling elite and conservatives, who saw his rule as corrupt, authoritarian and socially unstable.
Thaksin was ousted as prime minister by the military in 2006, and chose to go into exile two years later. However, he never stopped commenting or meddling in national affairs, according to his critics.
He returned last year when Srettha became PM, and was immediately jailed on charges of corruption and abuse of office since he took office. (ah/ft)
