BANGKOK (AP) 鈥� Thailand鈥檚 Parliament elected as prime minister Friday, continuing the legacy of the political dynasty that began with her father , one of Thailand鈥檚 most popular but divisive political figures.
Thaksin, a former Prime Minister, was ousted by a military coup in 2006, which triggered decades of deep political divisions. Paetongtarn appears to be the beneficiary of a deal her father made with his old conservative foes, allowing the populist party led by her to take power while pushing aside the more progressive party that finished first in last year's election.
Paetongtarn becomes Thailand鈥檚 third leader from the Shinawatra family, after her billionaire father, who returned from exile last year, and her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra, who lives in exile. Paetongtarn also is Thailand鈥檚 second female prime minister after her aunt, and the country鈥檚 youngest leader at 37.
As the only nominee, she was confirmed by 319 votes in favor, with 145 against and 27 abstentions. Paetongtarn is the leader of the Pheu Thai party, the latest of a string of parties linked to Thaksin. She is not an elected lawmaker as that was not required for her to be a candidate for prime minister.
She will officially become prime minister with royal assent, though the timing of that step isn鈥檛 known.
Paetongtarn, a former business executive, appeared overwhelmed as she spoke to reporters after the Parliament vote at the party's office in Bangkok. She said she was very 鈥渉onored and happy.鈥�
鈥淚 really hope that I can make people feel confident, that we can build opportunity and quality of life,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 hope that I can do my best to make the country go forward.鈥�
Paetongtarn鈥檚 nomination followed the removal of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of Pheu Thai on Wednesday after less than a year in office. The Constitutional Court found him guilty of a serious ethical breach regarding his who was jailed in connection with an alleged bribery attempt.
It was the second major ruling in a week to shake Thai politics. The same court last week which won last year鈥檚 general election but was blocked from taking power. The party has already .
Thaksin's residual popularity and influence is a factor behind the political support for Paetongtarn. Her public entry into politics came in 2021 when the Pheu Thai party announced she would lead an inclusion advisory committee. She was named one of Pheu Thai's three prime ministerial candidates ahead of the polls in 2023 and was made party chief last year.
When Paetongtarn was on the campaign trail for Pheu Thai, she acknowledged her family ties but insisted she was not just her father鈥檚 proxy.
鈥淚 am my dad鈥檚 daughter, always and forever, but I have my own decisions,鈥� she told a reporter.
However, her work will not be easy with Thaksin continuing to call the political shots for Pheu Thai, said Petra Alderman, a political research fellow at England鈥檚 University of Birmingham.
"Thaksin was a political force to reckon with, but he was also a liability," she said, 鈥淗e has a tendency to overplay his political hand, so serving in his shadow has never been easy.鈥�
Alderman noted that, while Paetongtarn seems to enjoy warm political and public support, that is not the only factor that will determine the course of her premiership.
鈥淲ho gets to govern in Thailand and for how long are questions that are often answered by unelected and unaccountable watchdog institutions, (such as) the Election Commission of Thailand and the Constitutional Court, or military coups,鈥� she said.
Pheu Thai and its predecessors linked to Thaksin have won all national elections since 2001, with core populist policies pledging to solve economic problems and bridge income equality, until it lost to the reformist Move Forward in 2023. It was given a chance to form a government, however, after Move Forward was blocked from taking power by the previous Senate, a military-appointed body.
Move Forward was excluded from the coalition by Pheu Thai, which went on to that previously ousted it in a coup.
Thaksin returned to Thailand last year after years in exile on the same day that Srettha was approved by both lower and upper houses, in what was interpreted as part of a political bargain between Pheu Thai and their longstanding rivals in the conservative establishment to stop Move Forward from forming a government.
Senators were given special power to veto a prime ministerial candidate by the constitution adopted in 2017 under a military government. However, new members of the Senate, selected in a , do not retain the veto. It means that a candidate needs just a majority from the lower house.
The coalition of Pheu Thai and its old conservative rivals under the leadership of Paetongtarn could strengthen their unity because Paetongtarn possesses something that Srettha does not 鈥� a direct line to her powerful father who has the final say 鈥� said Napon Jatusripitak, a political science researcher at Singapore鈥檚 ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
鈥淚n a strange way, it creates a clear chain of command and curbs factionalism,鈥� he said. 鈥淧aetongtarn will be given clear jurisdiction on where she can exercise her own agency and where it is a matter between her father and the coalition members.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Napat Kongsawad contributed to this report.
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Jintamas Saksornchai, The Associated Press
