Thailand’s king endorsed Patongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister on Sunday, two days after parliament elected him, clearing the way for him to form a Cabinet in the coming weeks.
Patongtarn, 37, became Thailand’s youngest prime minister, just days after his colleague Sretha Thawisin was removed from the post by the Constitutional Court, which has been at the centre of Thailand’s political turmoil for over two decades.
Patongtarn, the daughter of divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, won Friday’s House vote with nearly two-thirds of the vote to become Thailand’s second female prime minister and the third Shinawatra to hold the post after Thaksin and his aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.
The formality of approval by King Maha Vajiralongkorn was read out by Apat Sukhanand, secretary of the House of Representatives, at a ceremony in Bangkok on Sunday.
Dressed in official uniform, Patongtarn knelt down to pay homage before the king’s portrait and then delivered a short speech in which he thanked the king and the people’s representatives for their support as prime minister.
“As the head of the executive branch, I will carry out my duties with an open heart and in collaboration with the legislators,” she said. “I will listen to everyone’s opinions so that together we can take the country forward with stability.”
Patongtarn, who has never served in government before, faces challenges on multiple fronts, with the economy faltering and his Pheu Thai party’s popularity waning, and has yet to deliver on his flagship digital wallet cash distribution plan worth 500 billion baht ($15 billion).
After accepting the royal endorsement, Patongtarn hugged his father Thaksin and other family members.
At her first press conference, Patongtarn said she would continue all the policies of her predecessor Shrestha, including “major” economic stimulus and reform, tackling illicit drugs, improving the country’s universal healthcare system and promoting gender diversity.
He said the government would not abandon its flagship digital wallet policy but would “study and hear additional options” to ensure the plan is fiscally responsible.
“The goal is to stimulate the economy, so that remains the intention,” Patongtarn said.
The Prime Minister said she had no plans to appoint her father Thaksin to any government position but would seek his advice.
Patongtarn said details of his government’s policies would be presented to Parliament next month.
The fall of his predecessor Shrestha after less than a year in office is a reminder of the risks Patongtarn faces as Thailand is caught in a turbulent cycle of coups and court rulings that have led to the disintegration of political parties and the ouster of several governments and prime ministers.
Also at stake is the legacy and political future of the billionaire Shinawatra family, whose once invincible popular force last year suffered its first electoral defeat in two decades and had to compromise with its arch foes in the military to form a government.
The turmoil of recent days shows the fragile truce between Thaksin and his rivals in the monarchical establishment, which had allowed Thaksin to make a dramatic comeback from 15 years of self-exile in 2023 and for ally Shrestha to become prime minister on the same day, has collapsed.
More than a week ago, the same court that sacked Shrestha over the Cabinet appointments case also dissolved the anti-establishment Move Forward party – the 2023 election winner – over its campaign to amend the royal insult law, which the court said risked undermining the constitutional monarchy.
The highly popular opposition, which is Pheu Thai’s biggest rival, has now regrouped under a new organisation, the People’s Party.