Ex-PM's daughter picked as youngest ever Thai leader

Thailand’s parliament has picked Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of billionaire tycoon and former leader Thaksin, as prime minister.

At 37, she will be the country’s youngest PM and the second woman in the post, after her aunt Yingluck.

Her selection comes just two days after former PM Srettha Thavisin was dismissed by a constitutional court. Both are from the Pheu Thai Party, which came second at the 2023 election but formed a ruling coalition.

Ms Paetongtarn is the fourth member of the Shinawatra clan to become prime minister in the past two decades.

The other three, including her father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck, were deposed by military coups or constitutional court rulings.

The circumstances of Ms Paetongtarn’s appointment are a stark reminder of how constrained the power of elected governments is in Thailand.

On Thursday, Ms Paetongtarn said she admired Mr Srettha’s work and thought his dismissal was unfortunate.

“We’ve gathered here today to show the people that we are determined, driven and ready to push the country forward,” she told reporters on Thursday at her party’s headquarters, where she was put forward as the PM candidate.

Educated at elite schools in Thailand and at university in the UK, she spent some years working at the Shinawatra family’s Rende hotel group, where her husband serves as deputy chief investment officer.

She joined Pheu Thai in 2021 and was appointed party leader in October 2023.