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Billionaire's daughter who's just become youngest ever leader of country loved by Brits


At just 37, Paetongtarn Shinawatra will be the youngest prime minister Thailand has ever had. She will also be the second woman in the post, after her aunt Yingluck.

She is also the daughter of billionaire tycoon and former leader Thaksin. 

Her selection comes just two days after the former prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, was dismissed by a constitutional court for violating the constitution.

The court ruled that Srettha had violated the “rules on ethics” with “the display of defiant behaviour” in the appointment of a former lawyer who was once jailed to his cabinet. 

Both Srettha and Paetongtarn are part of the Pheu Thai Party, which came second in the 2023 election but formed a ruling coalition. 

Paetongtarn joined the party in 2021 and was appointed leader last October. She received 319 endorsements and 145 against votes. 

“I really hope that I can make people feel confident that we can build opportunities and to improve the quality of life and to empower all Thais,” Ms Paetongtarn told reporters after the vote on Friday.

In recent times, Thailand has been suffering from a stalled economy and plagued by military coups and court interventions which have deposed four previous administrations led by her party. 

She admitted that she was neither “the best, nor the most talented” person in the room, but said she believes she has “a strong will and I have a good team… My team is strong, experienced, determined and we share the same ideas. That’s something I value highly”. 

Paetongtarn is the fourth member of the Shinawatra clan to become prime minister in the last two decades, but all three were deposed. Thaksin became prime minister in 2001 but was deposed by a military coup in 2006.

After 15 years of exile, he returned to Thailand last October, just hours before Srettha was voted prime minister. This was enabled as part of a big agreement with his old conservative enemies, who are now in coalition with Pheu Thai. 

In June this year, he was charged with insulting the monarchy, becoming the most high-profile figure to face charges under Thailand’s notorious lese majeste law, which has been used against political dissidents. 

Paetongtarn’s aunt, Thaksin’s sister, won a landslide election in 2011 but was also disqualified by the courts and now lives in exile. 

Paetongtarn graduated with a degree in Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology from Chulalongkorn University in 2008 and went on to earn an MSc degree in International Hotel Management from the University of Surrey. As of 2022, she holds a total of 21 companies valued at approximately 68 billion baht, or £1.5 billion. 

Paetongtarn decided it was “about time to do something for the party and the country” after speaking to ex-PM Srettha and her family.

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