Meet Youngest Prime Minister of Thailand 2024

Meet Youngest Prime Minister of Thailand 2024, Thailand’s new PM Patongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s daughter, set for baptism of fire

Meet Youngest Prime Minister of Thailand 2024 : Thailand’s youngest prime minister, 37-year-old Patongtarn Shinawatra, was elected by parliament on Friday after the Constitutional Court removed Sritha Thawisin from office. Ms Patongtarn is the youngest daughter of former Thai prime minister and tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, and is the fourth member of her family to hold the post. Mr Thaksin was ousted in a coup in 2006, while Ms Patongtarn’s uncle Somchai Wongsawat was ousted by the Constitutional Court in 2008, and her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra was also ousted by the same court in 2014.

The latest change of prime minister mirrors many such abrupt removals in the past, which are attributed to Thailand’s conservative establishment. Mr Sritha was one of more than a dozen prime ministers appointed since 2001. Importantly, the court convicted Mr. Shrestha of ethical violations for appointing a cabinet minister who was convicted more than a decade ago of attempting to bribe a judge overseeing Mr. Thaksin’s corruption cases. Mr. Shrestha himself was only elected in 2023 after the reformist Move Forward Party.

Which won the most seats in the elections, was disqualified from forming a government and banned for suggesting changes to strict laws governing criticism of the monarchy. Meet Youngest Prime Minister of Thailand 2024 As a result, Ms. Patongtarn’s chances of having a smooth term in office and making radical changes to the system seem bleak. Her most important task will be to help get Thailand’s sluggish economy back on track, while avoiding the fate of her predecessors. Given her age and lack of experience, she is expected to be guided primarily by her father, who has returned from his exile in the UAE on corruption charges, after reaching a settlement with the establishment.

Rolling the dice

Petongtarn has never served in government, and the decision to bring her into the game is rolling the dice for Pheu Thai and its 75-year-old chief, Thaksin.

They will immediately face challenges on several fronts, with the economy faltering, competition from a rival party growing, and the waning popularity of Pheu Thai, which has yet to complete its major cash handout program of 500 billion baht ($14.25 billion).

“This gambit by Shinawatra is risky,” said Nattabhorn Buamhakul, managing partner at Vero Advocacy, a government affairs consultancy.

“It puts Thaksin’s daughter in the crosshairs and puts her in a vulnerable position.Meet Youngest Prime Minister of Thailand 2024 ” Shrestha’s ouster from power in less than a year is a reminder of the kind of hostility Patongtarn may face, as Thailand is caught in a turbulent cycle of coups and court rulings that have dissolved political parties and toppled several governments and prime ministers.

Shinawatra and his business allies have borne the brunt of the crisis, which pits parties with mass appeal against a powerful coalition of conservatives, old wealthy families and monarchist generals with deep ties to key institutions.

The development comes at a time of instability in India’s eastern Indian Ocean neighbourhood – the ouster of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has thrown the country into a period of uncertainty that the interim government will have to deal with. Meet Youngest Prime Minister of Thailand 2024 The development comes after a surge in violence between militant groups and Myanmar’s embattled junta, which threatens India’s investments as well as peace along India’s northeast border.

With Sri Lanka also due to hold presidential elections in September, Thailand’s crisis has cast another shadow over plans for the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok on September 4. Several agreements to be adopted on digital payment mechanisms, connectivity and maritime cooperation have already been negotiated, and the summit will hopefully no longer need to be postponed.

While Ms Patongtarn’s election may signal some stability in the short term, New Delhi must keep its shock absorbers on to deal with other surprise crises and seemingly chronic instability in the neighbourhood.

Category : Blog

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