By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PAETONGTARN SHINAWATRA, daughter of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra and leader of the core coalition partner, was today (Aug. 16) voted prime minister by a majority of lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
A total of 319 MPs cast yea votes for Paetongtarn whilst 145 others cast nay votes and 27 others abstained from voting in today’s special House session. Thaksin’s daughter was unrivalled in the naming for prime minister since nobody else was named as a contender.
Only half the total of 493 currently performing MPs, accounting for 247, was enough to make a prime minister.
The yea voters included Pheu Thai MPs and those of other coalition partners plus six renegade MPs from the Thai Sang Thai which has been earlier on the opposition bloc whilst the nay voters are mostly the People’s MPs with the Democrats abstaining.
Paetongtarn has become Thailand’s 31st prime minister and second woman prime minister after her aunt/fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra who was ousted in the 2014 coup.
Thaksin’s 38-year-old daughter is succeeding former Pheu Thai-attached prime minister Srettha Thavisin who was immediately stripped of power with Wednesday’s mind-blowing verdict passed by the Constitutional Court.
All current coalition partners including the Pheu Thai with 141 MPs under command, the Bhumjaithai with 70 MPs, the Palang Pracharath with 40 MPs and the Ruam Thai Sang Chart with 36 MPs, the Chart Thai Pattana with 10 MPs and the Prachachart with 9 MPs will definitely maintain the Pheu Thai-led government with a likely addition of the Thai Sang Thai with six MPs.
Paetongtarn had contested last year’s general election as one of Srettha’s running mates for prime minister without running in party-listed mode.
It remains to be seen sooner than later whether the newly-named prime minister will finally keep the much-heralded, yet-contentious 10,000-baht digital wallet project, largely viewed as the Pheu Thai’s flagship campaign policy, and carry it out as planned.
Other hot issues include ongoing efforts at parliament to grant amnesty for all politically-motivated detainees and suspects as well as to amend the coup junta-designed constitution of 2017, particularly in regards to the constitutionally empowered, overly-prevalent roles of the nine-judge Constitutional Court, among other “independent” agencies.
CAPTIONS:
Top: An image of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughter/party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra overlaid over a group of MPs in the House of Representatives meeting chamber. Photo: Thai Rath
Front Page: Paetongtarn Shinawatra next to House of Representatives meeting chamber. Photo: Thai Rath
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