Thailand’s parliament is set to vote on whether Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 37-year-old daughter of tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, should become the country’s next prime minister. Paetongtarn would be the third member of her family to lead Thailand, following her father and aunt. The ruling Pheu Thai party nominated her to replace the dismissed leader, Srettha Thavisin, who was removed by the country’s top court over a controversial ministerial appointment. The parliament is due to convene in Bangkok to vote on the matter, with the ruling coalition holding 314 seats.
Paetongtarn, who previously ran the family’s hotel business before entering politics three years ago, was chosen as the replacement candidate by the ruling coalition after none of the other parties in the coalition put forward an alternative. However, the reformist Move Forward Party (MFP), which won the most seats in parliament, has vowed not to support a candidate from Pheu Thai and will continue to serve as an opposition.
The political situation in Thailand has been marked by a long-standing power struggle between the military, pro-royalist establishment, and populist parties linked to Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin himself was removed in a military coup in 2006 and spent years in exile before returning to Thailand just last year. Now, with his daughter potentially becoming the next prime minister, the country’s political landscape may see further changes and challenges ahead.
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