Thailand’s king has endorsed Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the country’s new prime minister two days after parliament elected her.

Paetongtarn, 37, was sworn in on Sunday, becoming the youngest prime minister of Thailand.

She nabbed the spot just days after Srettha Thavisin was dismissed as premier by the Constitutional Court, a judiciary central to Thailand’s two decades of political turmoil.

Her approval as the country’s new premier by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, a formality, was read out by House of Representatives Secretary Apat Sukhanand at a ceremony in Bangkok.

Paetongtarn won by nearly two-thirds in a House of Representatives vote on Friday, no stranger to the process coming from a family in Thai politics as the daughter of divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and niece of Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand’s first female prime minister.

The second female prime minister of Thailand and leader of the Pheu Thai Party has the strong support of senior party leaders and coalition partners, said Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Bangkok.

“She hasn’t chosen the cabinet yet, but we presume from the people who are with her today that her cabinet will be much the same as it was under her predecessor,” said Cheng, adding that Srettha was at the ceremony, the party wanting to show a level of continuity by not throwing him under the bus.

As part of the royal endorsement, Paetongtarn knelt in front of a portrait of the king and delivered a short speech.

“As head of the executive branch, I will do my duty together with the legislators with an open heart,” she said. “I will listen to all opinions so together we can take the country forward with stability.”

Source: BBC

BDST: 1341 HRS, AUG 19, 2024
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