King Endorses Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 37, as New Thai PM

Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been sworn in as Thailand’s prime minister after being endorsed by the Thai king on Sunday.

The 37-year-old daughter of divisive former PM Thaksin, Paetongtarn won nearly two-thirds of the vote in the lower house of the Parliament on Friday. The latest news allows her to form a cabinet in the coming weeks.

Paetongtarn – the country’s youngest ever PM and second female leader after her aunt Yingluck (who was ousted by a coup in 2014) – takes power just days after ally Srettha Thavisin was dismissed as premier by the Constitutional Court for a serious ethical violation.

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The approval by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, a formality, was read out by House of Representatives Secretary Apat Sukhanand at a ceremony in Bangkok on Sunday.

Dressed in official uniform, Paetongtarn knelt in homage to a portrait of the king before giving a short speech thanking the king and the people’s representatives for endorsing her as prime minister.

“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,” she said.

Paetongtarn, who has not served in government previously, faces challenges on multiple fronts, with the economy floundering and the popularity of her Pheu Thai party dwindling, having yet to deliver on its flagship digital wallet cash handout programme worth 500 billion baht ($15 billion).

After accepting the royal endorsement, Paetongtarn hugged her father Thaksin and other family members.

In her first press conference, Paetongtarn said she will continue with all policies of her predecessor Srettha, including “major” economic stimulus and reform, tackling illegal drugs, improving the country’s universal healthcare system and promoting gender diversity.

She said the government will not abandon its flagship digital wallet policy but will seek to “study and listen to additional options” to make sure the scheme is fiscally responsible.

“The goal is to stimulate the economy so this intention remains,” Paetongtarn said.

The prime minister said she has no plans to appoint her father Thaksin to any government position but will seek his advice.

Policies to be outlined next month

Paetongtarn said details of her government policies will be presented to parliament next month.

The fall of her predecessor Srettha after less than a year in office is a reminder of the risk for Paetongtarn with Thailand trapped in a tumultuous cycle of coups and court rulings that have disbanded political parties and toppled multiple governments and prime ministers.

Also at stake is the legacy and political future of the billionaire Shinawatra family, whose once unstoppable populist juggernaut suffered its first election defeat in over two decades last year and had to make a deal with its bitter enemies in the military to form a government.

The upheaval of recent days indicates a breakdown in a fragile truce struck between Thaksin and his rivals in the royalist establishment, which had enabled the tycoon’s dramatic return from 15 years of self-exile in 2023 and ally Srettha to become premier the same day.

More than a week ago, the court that dismissed Srettha over a cabinet appointment dissolved the anti-establishment Move Forward Party – the 2023 election winner – over a campaign to amend a royal insult law that the court said risked undermining the constitutional monarchy.

The hugely popular opposition, Pheu Thai’s biggest challenger, has since regrouped under a new banner, the People’s Party.

Thaksin’s parole period ends

Thaksin, meanwhile, has had a good month. The billionaire former PM received a royal pardon shortening his parole by two weeks, his lawyer said on Saturday, a day after his daughter was elected premier by MPs.

Thaksin has been at the heart of a two-decade power struggle between his allies and a nexus of royalists, generals and old-money families that have long wielded influence over Thai governments and institutions.

After a dramatic return last August from self-exile to avoid jail time in the wake of his overthrow in a 2006 military coup, Thaksin served six months in hospital detention, due to health reasons, before being released on parole in February.

After his return, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for abuse of power and conflicts of interests during his time in office from 2001 to 2006. His sentence was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn last September.

“Thaksin is among the prisoners that received the royal pardon” for prisoners in honour of the king’s birthday last month, his lawyer, Winyat Chartmontri, said. “It will take effect on Sunday.”

Parole, granted in February, was due to end at the end of the month, but was shortened to Sunday as part of the royal pardon, Winyat said.

A court hearing on Monday on lese majeste charges brought against Thaksin was adjourned until July 2025 after a review of witness and evidence lists, Winyat was quoted as telling the Bangkok Post. He said the Criminal Court would hear from witnesses in seven sessions scheduled for next July.

Thaksin was ready to attend all the hearings and prove he had no intention of insulting the royal institution, Winyat said after the hearing, which was closed to the public. He also expected the court to deliver its ruling next year, it said.