Dynasty’s Restart

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Thailand’s king on Sunday formally endorsed 37-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the new prime minister less than a week after the ousting of her predecessor, an appointment that underscores the possible comeback of the famed but controversial Shinawatra political dynasty, Al Jazeera reported.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s endorsement came after Thailand’s lower house of parliament voted in favor of appointing Paetongtarn as prime minister Friday.

The vote came a few days after Thailand’s constitutional court removed Srettha Thavisin from office over ethics violations.

As the leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, Paetongtarn is the country’s youngest prime minister and the second female to hold the office after her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra.

Paetongtarn is the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a highly influential but divisive politician. The Shinawatra family has been at the center of Thai politics for more than two decades, known for their populist policies that have garnered strong support from rural and working-class voters, but have clashed with Thailand’s military and royalist establishment.

The new administration is expected to follow the policy direction set by Srettha, including major economic stimulus efforts, healthcare reform and a crackdown on illegal drugs.

The country has faced economic difficulties, particularly under military and semi-military rule over the past decade. Thailand’s economic growth has lagged behind neighboring countries and public debt has risen significantly.

The young prime minister will also navigate a fractured political landscape, especially between Pheu Thai and the newly formed People’s Party, which emerged from the Move Forward Party, after it was dissolved by the constitutional court.

Move Forward – which received most of the votes in last year’s parliamentary elections – was dissolved because of its effort to amend the country’s royal defamation laws.

Paetongtarn’s government is expected to avoid challenging the royal defamation law, mainly to appease the military and royalist factions and avoid further political turmoil.

Meanwhile, her appointment comes as her father, Thaksin, received a royal pardon, Reuters wrote.

Thaksin had been living in a self-imposed exile for 17 years following his ousting by the military in a 2006 coup. He returned to Thailand last year, but was sentenced to eight years in prison for abuse of power and conflicts of interest during his time in office from 2001 to 2006.

In September, the Thai king commuted his eight-year sentence to one year. The former prime minister only served six months of this sentence in hospital detention due to health issues before being granted parole in February.

Observers suggested that the pardon hints at a possible easing of tensions between the Shinawatra dynasty and the royalist establishment, and may likely stabilize Thailand’s political environment as Paetongtarn takes office.