Thailand’s governing alliance chooses Paetongtarn Shinawatra as PM candidate
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Pheu Thai party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra at a press conference in Bangkok on Aug 15.
PHOTO: AFP
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BANGKOK – Thailand’s governing alliance agreed on Aug 15 to back 37-year-old political newcomer Paetongtarn Shinawatra as its candidate for prime minister, a day ahead of a pivotal vote in Parliament.
“We decide to nominate Paetongtarn Shinawatra,” Pheu Thai party secretary-general Sorawong Thienthong told reporters in Bangkok.
Lawmakers will vote on Aug 16 in Parliament – where Pheu Thai heads a governing coalition – on whether to approve Ms Paetongtarn as prime minister.
“We are determined, together, and we will push the country forward,” Ms Paetongtarn said at a news conference ahead of the vote.
The deal follows a flurry of behind-the-scenes talks in the 24 hours since the Constitutional Court dismissed Mr Srettha Thavisin as prime minister
Ms Paetongtarn is the daughter of divisive political heavyweight Thaksin Shinawatra and a niece of Ms Yingluck Shinawatra, both former prime ministers who fled into exile after military coups against their governments.
Mr Srettha’s dismissal by the Constitutional Court was the latest hammer blow for Pheu Thai, the populist electoral juggernaut of the Shinawatra family that has locked horns for two decades with Thailand’s influential establishment and royalist military.
If successful in the Aug 16 vote, Ms Paetongtarn would be Thailand’s second female prime minister and the third Shinawatra to hold the top post.
“We are confident that under her leadership, we will all support her and be ready to carry out her policies from the day she assumes office,” Mr Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, told reporters.
Mr Srettha was the movement’s fourth premier to be removed by a court ruling, and his downfall could indicate the end of an uneasy detente between Mr Thaksin and his enemies in the conservative elite and military old guard, which enabled the tycoon’s return from self-exile in 2023 and Mr Srettha to become prime minister the same day.
The 11-party alliance holds 314 seats in the House, of which 141 belong to Pheu Thai, and should have no difficulty electing a prime minister on Aug 16, providing it remains intact.
To become premier, a candidate needs the approval of more than half of the current 493 lawmakers.
The appointment of Ms Paetongtarn would signal few changes to policies pursued by Mr Srettha’s administration, which focused on bolstering growth through looser fiscal policies and tackling the high cost of living and near-record household debt.
Ms Paetongtarn (right) is the youngest of Mr Thaksin Shinawatra’s (left) three children and the nominal leader of the Pheu Thai party.
PHOTO: REUTERS
An alumnus of the University of Surrey, Ms Paetongtarn was a key player in the Shinawatra business empire spanning a golf course and real estate to hospitality and telecommunications. She is listed as the largest shareholder of publicly traded property firm SC Asset, with a 28.5 per cent stake, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
She is also the chief executive for the hotel business group of Rende Development, which is run by her sister, Ms Pintongta Shinawatra Kunakornwong, and cites the luxurious Rosewood Hotel in Bangkok as a major project.
Before assuming the premier’s role, Ms Paetongtarn will need to relinquish her business roles and comply with share ownership rules, according to Thai laws.
REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
