Thailand Loses, Gets a Prime Minister

Bangkok, Thailand —(Map)

Last week Thailand lost its prime minister and quickly got another one. On Wednesday, Thailand’s courts removed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Two days later, Parliament chose the daughter of a popular politician with a troubled history as the country’s new prime minister.

Last Friday, Thailand’s Parliament voted to make Paetongtarn Shinawatra Thailand’s new prime minister. At 37, she will be Thailand’s youngest prime minister, and the second female to hold the position.

Ms. Paetongtarn is the leader of Thailand’s Pheu Thai party.  She’s also the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, who’s a powerful force in Thai politics.

Mr. Thaksin was Thailand’s prime minister from 2001 until 2006, when he was forced out in a military coup. He left the country for over 15 years. But he managed to have a lot of control over Thailand’s politics, even from outside the country. Mr. Thaksin’s sister (and Ms. Paetongtarn’s aunt), Yingluck Shinawatra, was Thailand’s prime minister from 2011 to 2014.

Thailand has had a difficult time with democracy in recent years. In 2014, the military took over the government in a coup. The military leader, Prayuth Chan-ocha, later became Thailand’s prime minister. But the military government was voted out in last year’s election.

Still, Thai voters didn’t get exactly what they wanted. The party that got the most votes, the Move Forward party, wasn’t allowed to take power. Instead, the Pheu Thai party, which came in second and is strongly connected to Mr. Thaksin, was able to form a government. It did this by working with parties connected to the military.

Last August, Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai party was chosen as prime minister. But last week, Thailand’s Constitutional Court removed Mr. Srettha. The court said that Mr. Srettha had broken the rules by choosing someone who had once been in prison to be a government minister. That meant Thailand needed a new prime minister.

Last August, Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai party was chosen as prime minister. But last week, Thailand’s Constitutional Court removed Mr. Srettha. Above, Mr. Srettha speaking last Wednesday after the court’s decision.

Though Ms. Paetongtarn leads Pheu Thai, she’s not a member of Parliament. But in Thailand, that’s not necessary. Ms. Paetongtarn was the only candidate for prime minister, and she was elected with 319 votes in favor and 145 against. Twenty-seven members of Parliament didn’t vote.

Ms. Paetongtarn said she was “honored and happy” to be chosen as prime minister. She said, “I hope that I can do my best to make the country go forward.”

Some experts believe that Ms. Paetongtarn’s father, Mr. Thaksin, may wind up secretly guiding a lot of the government’s decisions. Mr. Thaksin is popular with many people in Thailand, but he has also upset many others. Ms. Paetongtarn says she’s close with her father and that he gives her advice. But she says, “I have my own decisions.”

Some experts believe that Ms. Paetongtarn’s father, Mr. Thaksin, may wind up secretly guiding a lot of the government’s decisions. Ms. Paetongtarn says she’s close with her father and that he gives her advice. But she says, “I have my own decisions.” Above, Mr. Thaksin with Ms. Paetongtarn last August.

Still, many people in Thailand aren’t happy with the way things have turned out. They’re upset that the party that got the most votes in last year’s election is not in power. They’re also upset that the person who was chosen as prime minister has been removed.

As one expert who studies Thailand’s politics told the New York Times, “It tells you that the Thai people’s vote doesn’t really matter.”

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Did You Know…?
The week before last, Thailand’s Constitutional Court shut down the party that won last year’s election and banned its leader from politics for 10 years. But the remaining members of Move Forward have already created a new political party called the People’s Party.