Thailand's youngest female prime minister
Thailand's parliament on August 16 approved Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister. The vote was broadcast by PBS Thailand.
The results of the vote showed that candidate Shinawatra was supported by 319 lawmakers, opposed by 145 and abstained by 27. Shinawatra is the leader of the Pheu Thai Party, which leads an 11-party coalition that holds 314 seats in the House of Representatives.
Ms. Shinawatra, 37 years old, has become the 31st and youngest prime minister in Thailand's history. She is also the second woman to hold the position of Prime Minister of Thailand, after her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the daughter of former Prime Minister and one of Thailand's most prominent politicians Thaksin Shinawatra (2001-2006), and the niece of another former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (2011-2014).
Thus, she continued the legacy of the Shinawatra family to assume the position of prime minister.
"The country must move forward. We are determined, together and we will move the country forward," Paetongtarn, the youngest of Thaksin's three children, told reporters after winning Pheu Thai's nomination on August 15.
