Thai lawmakers elect Shinawatra heiress as PM

AFP | Bangkok, Thailand

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

The 37-year-old daughter of billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra became Thailand's prime minister yesterday, the third member of the influential but divisive clan to lead the country.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra -- the youngest leader in Thailand's history as a constitutional monarchy and the second woman premier after her aunt Yingluck -- assumes office after two court rulings that threw the kingdom's politics into turmoil.

She will hope to avoid the fate of her father and aunt, both of whom were ousted as PM by the army during a two-decade power struggle between Thaksin and the kingdom's conservative pro-military, pro-royalist establishment.

Lawmakers approved Paetongtarn of the Pheu Thai party as premier by 319 votes to 145, House of Representatives Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said on live TV. Paetongtarn said she was "very honoured and happy". "I really hope that I can make people feel confident. I hope to improve the quality of lives and empower all Thais," she told reporters.

"I decided that it's about time to do something for the country and the party. I hope that I can do my best to make the country go forward." Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet -- like Paetongtarn, the child of a previous premier -- sent congratulations.

China also congratulated Paetongtarn, with a foreign ministry spokesperson saying Beijing stood "ready to work with Thailand to carry forward" the two nations' longstanding ties.