Thailand’s king endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra as new prime minister

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a scion of Thailand’s most famed and divisive political dynasty, won the endorsement of the king on Sunday to officially become the country’s new prime minister.

Her appointment follows a series of twists and turns in Thai politics over the past week, during which the Constitutional Court ousted Srettha Thavisin, her predecessor from the same Pheu Thai party.

The country’s youngest ever prime minister at 37 years old, Paetongtarn is the daughter of ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra. She becomes Thailand’s second woman prime minister, after her aunt – and Thaksin’s sister – Yingluck Shinawatra.

On Sunday, King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s approval was read to her by the secretary of the House of Representatives at Pheu Thai headquarters in the capital Bangkok.

Paetongtarn got down on her knees and paid homage to a portrait of the king, before giving a short speech thanking him.

“The king has appointed me as the prime minister of Thailand. This is the highest honor and pride in my life,” she said after the endorsement.

“I, my family and the Pheu Thai party greatly appreciate His Majesty’s kindness. I am determined to perform my duties with my loyalty and honesty for the benefit of the nation and the people,” she added.

She is expected to appoint her 35-member cabinet and will lead the ministers in swearing an oath before the king.

Last week, the Constitutional Court ruled Srettha breached ethics rules by appointing to his cabinet a lawyer – and Thaksin aide – who had served prison time.

Srettha’s dismissal 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.

On Friday, the Thai parliament voted Paetongtarn into the role after she was nominated as the sole candidate by Pheu Thai’s ruling coalition to replace Srettha.

She was one of three prime ministerial candidates for the Pheu Thai party ahead of national elections in May, and made international headlines when she gave birth just two weeks before the vote.

Thaksin is one of Thailand’s most influential figures. His economic and populist policies enabled him to build a political machine that has dominated the country for the past two decades despite his ouster in a 2006 coup.

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

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

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

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