At 37, the heiress of the wealthy family that has divided the kingdom for more than twenty years has become the youngest head of government in the country’s history.
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At 37, Paetongtarn Shinawatra becomes the youngest Prime Minister in Thailand’s history. On Friday, August 16, MPs elected the president of the Pheu Thai party, the only candidate in the race, who won more than half the votes in the chamber.
The heiress of the wealthy family that has divided the kingdom for more than two decades becomes the third Shinawatra to occupy the role, after her father Thaksin (2001-2006) and her aunt Yingluck (2011-2014), both overthrown in a coup. The Shinawatras are inseparable from the tensions that have fragmented the kingdom for more than two decades, between a pro-monarchy old guard protected by the army and voters eager for change.
At almost 38, Paetongtarn Shinawatra is breaking a record for precocity in Thailand, where politics has remained the preserve of ageing male figures since the establishment of the constitutional monarchy in 1932. The next government, which will only take office after the formal agreement of the king, must lead a kingdom that has ground to a halt, against a backdrop of stubborn divisions and flagging growth.
In one week, the Constitutional Court dissolved the main opposition party and dismissed former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, going against the will for change expressed by a majority of Thais at the polls, according to the pro-democracy camp. Paetongtarn Shinawatra has the support of the outgoing majority coalition, dominated by the Pheu Thai party under the influence of his father.
