Thailand's king approves Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister Reuters

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Paetongtarn Shinawatra was approved as prime minister by the Thai king on Sunday, two days after parliament elected him, paving the way for him to form a cabinet in the coming weeks.

Paetongtarn, 37, becomes Thailand's youngest prime minister days after ally Srettha Thavisin was ousted as prime minister by the Constitutional Court, the court at the center of Thailand's two decades of political upheaval.

The daughter of divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn won by nearly two-thirds in a house vote on Friday to become Thailand's second female prime minister and the third Shinawatra to hold the post, succeeding Thaksin and his aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn's endorsement, which is official, was read by Home Secretary Apat Sukhanand at a ceremony in Bangkok on Sunday.

Dressed in official uniform, Paetongtarn knelt to pay respect to the king's statue before giving a short speech thanking the king and the people's representatives for approving him as prime minister.

“As the head of the executive body, I will do my job in cooperation with the legislators with a good heart,” he said. “I will listen to all opinions so that together we can move the country forward with stability,” he said.

Paetongtarn, who has never worked in government before, faces challenges on many fronts, with the economy faltering and the popularity of his Pheu Thai party waning, not yet coming up with its flagship digital wallet plan worth 500 billion baht ($1 billion 15).

After receiving the royal endorsement, Paetongtarn hugged his father Thaksin and other family members.

In his first press conference, Paetongtarn said he would continue all the policies of his predecessor Srettha, including “major” economic stimulus and reforms, fighting illegal drugs, improving the country's health care system and promoting gender diversity.

He said the government would not abandon its digital wallet policy but would want to “study and listen to other options” to ensure the program is financially sustainable.

“The purpose is to stimulate the economy so that this purpose will always exist,” said Paetongtarn.

The prime minister said he has no plans to appoint his father Thaksin to any government post but will seek his advice.

Paetongtarn said details of his government's policies will be presented to parliament next month.

The fall of his predecessor Srettha after less than a year in office is a reminder of the dangers of Paetongtarn and Thailand locked in a tumultuous cycle of coups and court rulings that have split political parties and toppled several governments and prime ministers.

Also at stake is the legacy and political future of the billionaire Shinawatra family, whose insufferable party lost elections for the first time in more than two decades last year and had to make a deal with bitter enemies in the military to form a government.

The upheavals of recent days point to the breakdown of a fragile deal between Thaksin and his rivals for the throne, which saw the massacre return to 15 years in exile in 2023 and ally Srettha to become Prime Minister on that day.

More than a week ago, the court that rejected Srettha's Cabinet appointment disbanded the anti-establishment Move Forward Party – which won the 2023 election – with a campaign to amend the blasphemy law which the court said risked undermining constitutional sovereignty.

The most popular opposition party, Pheu Thai's main rival, has since regrouped under a new vehicle, the People's Party.