GGRAsia – Paetongtarn Shinawatra new Thai PM, working on cabinet

Paetongtarn Shinawatra new Thai PM, working on cabinet

Aug 19, 2024 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck

Paetongtarn Shinawatra was endorsed on Sunday as Thailand’s new prime minister by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, via a formality, after being voted in on Friday by Thailand’s parliament.

According to media reports, Ms Shinawatra (pictured) is now working on forming a cabinet, a task likely to be completed within weeks.

At 37 years old, Ms Shinawatra will be the country’s youngest prime minister. She is a daughter of a former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and a niece of the country’s first female prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

The new premier was chosen just two days after Thailand’s Constitutional Court removed the previous one, Srettha Thavisin, for appointing to his cabinet a former lawyer who had served a prison sentence.

Mr Srettha, a real estate entrepreneur representing the Pheu Thai Party, had been one of the most vocal officials in support of Thailand’s push to legalise the casino resort business.

During Friday’s vote, Ms Shinawatra secured 319 votes in the House of Representatives after being nominated as the sole candidate by the Pheu Thai Party to replace Mr Srettha.

In a press conference, Ms Shinawatra said she would continue with all the policies of her predecessor, including “major” economic stimulus and reform. She added that details of her government’s policies would be presented to parliament in September.

Her billionaire father Mr Shinawatra has been one of Thailand’s most influential politicians. He was ousted as prime minister in a 2006 military coup. Mr Shinawatra’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was removed as prime minister in 2014 by the Constitutional Court.

Draft casino legalisation legislation, known as the Entertainment Complex Bill, has been undergoing a public consultation process that was poised to end yesterday (August 18).

According to the draft bill, Thailand’s prime minister, a deputy prime minister and five ministers are due sit on what it termed a “Policy Committee” to steer the country’s casino policy effort.

The high-powered committee’s scope of authority includes determining the number of licences for the casino entertainment complexes and the areas for operating them, as well as recommending the tax rates for casino businesses.