Photo: Collected
The Thai king on Sunday formally appointed Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 37-year-old daughter of controversial billionaire ex-premier Thaksin, as Thailand's new prime minister.
Paetongtarn, the kingdom's youngest ever PM, comes to office after a court sacked the previous premier and disbanded the main opposition party, throwing Thailand's ever-febrile political scene into a new round of turmoil.
She is the third Shinawatra to be prime minister, but will hope to avoid the fate of her father and aunt Yingluck, both of whom were thrown out of power in military coups.
Paetongtarn received King Maha Vajiralongkorn's official written command to form a government in a ceremony at the headquarters of a former pro-Thaksin TV station soon after 9:30 am (0230 GMT).
Thaksin, 75, was a prominent attendee at the ceremony, standing alongside Paetongtarn's husband in the front row.
She heads a coalition government led by her Pheu Thai party -- the latest incarnation of the political movement founded by her father in the early 2000s -- but including some pro-military groups long opposed to Thaksin.
Her elevation to the top job came about after the kingdom's Constitutional Court sacked previous premier Srettha Thavisin on Wednesday for breaching ethics rules by appointing a cabinet minister with a criminal conviction.
Thailand has been dominated for more than 20 years by a tussle for dominance between Thaksin and his allies and the kingdom's conservative pro-military, pro-royalist elite.
Parties linked to the former telecoms tycoon and one-time Manchester City owner have repeatedly won elections, only to find their governments upended by coups and court rulings.
Paetongtarn is a relative newcomer, running the hotel arm of the family business until late 2022 when she entered politics ahead of last year's general election where Pheu Thai was unexpectedly beaten into second place by the upstart progressive Move Forward Party (MFP).
After being approved by lawmakers on Friday, Paetongtarn acknowledged her lack of experience but said she was ready to take on the challenge of "improving the quality of lives and empowering all Thais".
Messenger/Disha
