Paetongtarn Chinnawath (37), the youngest daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was elected as Thailand's new Prime Minister on the 16th. She is the youngest Prime Minister in history.
On the same day, Paetongtarn was nominated as the sole candidate from the coalition parties led by the Pheu Thai Party in the House of Representatives' prime ministerial election and succeeded in securing a majority vote.
As the leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, she became the 31st Prime Minister of Thailand, succeeding Srettha Thavisin, who resigned following a Constitutional Court dismissal decision on the 14th. She is the youngest ever and the second female Prime Minister after Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.
Within the Thaksin family, she is the third Prime Minister following former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (2001?2006) and former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (2011?2014). Including Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law and Paetongtarn's uncle, who briefly served as Prime Minister in 2008, she is the fourth Prime Minister related to the Thaksin family.
The Guardian reported, "Despite former Prime Minister Thaksin being ousted in a 2006 coup, he still wields tremendous influence locally." Both former Prime Ministers Somchai and Yingluck were forced to step down due to court rulings.
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