Patongtarn Shinawatra: Thailand's parliament has elected Patongtarn Shinawatra as the Prime Minister. He is the country's youngest Prime Minister. Two days ago, Thailand's Supreme Court removed Prime Minister Shretha Thavisin from office. He was accused of violating ethics rules by appointing a former criminal to the cabinet.
Patongtarn, 37, is the youngest daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Apart from her father, her aunt Yingluck has also been Prime Minister of Thailand, becoming the country's youngest and second female Prime Minister.
Third Prime Minister from the family
Shinawatra is the third member of his family to reach this position. His father Thaksin Shinawatra returned to the country only last year after 15 years of exile. Thaksin was elected Prime Minister of Thailand for the first time in 2001 but was exiled after the coup in 2006. Patongtarn is very popular in Thai politics. In the last election too, she campaigned a lot despite being pregnant. Her Pheu Thai party was second in the 2023 elections. Her family also has a strong hold on Thai politics. This is the reason why she has received tremendous support from the public.
Why was Shretha Thavisin removed?
About 48 hours ago, Thailand's Constitutional Court removed Shretha Thavisin from the post of Prime Minister. He was accused of appointing a lawyer who had served a prison sentence as a cabinet minister. According to the court, Shretha violated constitutional rules by making such an appointment, although after the court's decision, Thavisin defended himself by saying that he was not fully aware of the rules.
Shretha replaced Pichit Chuenban in the cabinet, who was sentenced to 6 months in prison in 2008 for attempting to bribe Supreme Court officials. The court believed that Shretha was well aware of the case involving Pichit. Shretha Thavisin became prime minister after winning the 2023 election last year. About a year later, his government fell due to the dismissal of the court.