Who is Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thailand’s youngest-ever prime minister?

Days after the dismissal of Srettha Thavisin as the country’s prime minster, the Thai parliament has elected its youngest-ever prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

A political greenhorn, Paetongtarn has become Thailand’s second woman prime minister and the third Shinawatra to take the top job after aunt Yingluck Shinawatra, and father Thaksin, the country's most influential and polarising politician.

The 37-year-old daughter of Thaksin sailed through a house vote and now faces a baptism of fire, just two days after ally Srettha Thavisin was dismissed as premier by a judiciary central to Thailand's two decades of intermittent turmoil, said a Reuters report.

‘Will do my best for country’

In her first comments to the media as the prime minister-elect, Paetongtarn said she had been saddened and confused by Srettha's dismissal and decided it was time to step up.

“I talked to Srettha, my family and people in my party and decided it was about time to do something for the country and the party,” she told reporters. “I hope I can do my best to make the country go forward. That's what I'm trying to do. Today I'm honoured and I feel very happy.”

The fall of Srettha after less than a year in office will be a stark reminder of the kind of hostility Paetongtarn could face, with Thailand trapped in a tumultuous cycle of coups and court rulings that have disbanded political parties and toppled multiple governments and prime ministers, said the report.

Constitutional Court unseats Srettha

Earlier, Constitutional Court judges voted 6-3 this year to accept a petition submitted by 40 senators to remove Srettha of the Pheu Thai Party.

Srettha was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in Bangkok on Wednesday. He is the fourth Thai prime minister in 16 years to be unseated by the Constitutional Court.

Senators had resented Srettha’s move to appoint former lawyer Pichit Chuenban, who was jailed for six months in 2008 for contempt of court, following allegations that he had attempted to bribe court officials with 2 million baht ($55,218) placed in a paper grocery bag.

The senators contended that Srettha’s appointment of Pichit fell short of ethical and moral standards. Those opposing the move also speculated that Pichit’s ties with billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, who founded the Pheu Thai party in 2007, played a role in his appointment.

From business to politics

Paetongtarn, 37, is the youngest child of billionaire Thaksin, 75, founder of the Pheu Thai party, with which Srettha was also affiliated.

She studied at the elite conservative institute, Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok. She is known by her nickname, Ung-Ing. Before stepping into politics three years ago, she was managing the hotels that are part of her family’s business empire.

Her political career began in 2021, when she became chief of the Pheu Thai party’s Inclusion and Innovation Advisory Committee. She gave birth to her second child two weeks before the 2023 elections, during which she was a favoured candidate.

Challenging road ahead

Interestingly, Paetongtarn’s first term in office will be challenging, as she will be faced with Thailand’s struggling economy, her party’s declining popularity and a possible rise of the Opposition.

“Thaksin's gamble on Paetongtarn at such a critical juncture surprised many analysts, who expected him to delay his dynasty and avoid exposing his daughter to the type of battles that led to the downfall of himself and sister Yingluck, who both fled overseas to avoid jail after their governments were ousted by the military,” said the Reuters report.