Paetongtarn Shinawatra Sworn In as Thailand’s PM Following Royal Approval

After Paetongtarn Shinawatra was elected by parliament, the king of Thailand has given his approval for her to become the new prime minister.

On Sunday, at the age of 37, Paetongtarn took an oath and became Thailand’s youngest prime minister.

Just days after Srettha Thavisin was removed from his position as prime minister by the Constitutional Court – a judicial power that has played a central role in Thailand’s political disputes for over two decades – she secured the spot.

During a ceremony held in Bangkok, House of Representatives Secretary Apat Sukhanand formally announced the approval by King Maha Vajiralongkorn of her appointment as the nation’s new premier.

With her background in Thai politics as the offspring of controversial former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and niece of Yingluck Shinawatra – Thailand’s initial female prime minister, Paetongtarn emerged victorious by a margin close to two-thirds in Friday’s House of Representatives vote.

Reporting from Bangkok, Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng stated that the leader of Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party and its second female prime minister enjoys robust backing from senior party officials and members of her coalition.

Cheng stated that although she hasn’t made her cabinet selections yet, it could be assumed by the individuals accompanying her presently that they will resemble those of her forerunner. He mentioned Srettha’s attendance at the ceremony as evidence of their party’s commitment to maintaining coherence and not abandoning him.

To receive the royal endorsement, Paetongtarn genuflected before a picture of the monarch and presented a brief address.

“I pledge to fulfill my responsibilities as the leader of the executive branch in collaboration with lawmakers, maintaining an open mind,” she stated. “I am willing to hear every viewpoint so that we can advance our country’s progress towards stability.”

The country that Paetongtarn takes over is facing economic challenges and dwindling support for her political party.

During her inaugural press briefing, the freshly elected leader pledged to carry forward the initiatives of Srettha, an ally and predecessor. These include wide-reaching economic stimulation and reforms, combating drug trafficking effectively as well as improving universal health care across all sectors. Additionally, she outlined plans for encouraging gender diversity in society at large.

Cheng stated that the Thai voters are genuinely worried about the economy, and numerous individuals are interrogating her party’s inability to introduce the digital wallet plan – a commitment made to grant approximately $300 to each voter in Thailand.

Pravit Rojanaphruk, a columnist for Kaisar English – a news outlet based in Bangkok – suggests that the economy will be Paetongtarn’s primary concern.

According to him, the Thai economy has been struggling for the past decade with military or semi-military control in nine of those years. He stated from Singapore that Thailand is lagging behind neighboring countries and carrying a significant burden of public debt.

According to the columnist, although many people in the government welcome her seeking his advice, the prime minister has asserted that she does not intend on appointing her father Thaksin to any official position within the administration.

Srettha’s tenure in office was brief, which reflects Thailand’s recurring pattern of coups and court decisions that dissolve political parties and overthrow various governments and prime ministers.

Paetongtarn faces yet another obstacle in the form of the wealthy Shinawatra family, after her populist party experienced its first electoral loss in over 20 years during the previous year.

Last month, the court that ousted Srettha due to his cabinet appointment dissolved the Move Forward Party – victors of last year’s election. The dissolution was a result of their campaigning efforts aimed at altering legislation pertaining to royal insult laws, which were deemed by the court as potentially harmful towards threatening constitutional monarchy.

According to Rojanaphruk, there is unlikely to be any concern regarding the government of the new prime minister on that matter.

He said that the government, under the leadership of the new prime minister, will make every effort to pacify both military and royalist factions in order to avoid any revisions made to the law concerning defamation of royalty.

Rojanaphruk stated that the newly formed People’s Party has become the main competitor to Pheu Thai, a party with immense support. As a result, Thailand is still divided between these two opposing political forces.