Paetongtarn Shinawatra Sworn In As New Thai Prime Minister

On Friday, Thailand inaugurated Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister, capping a month of political turmoil that saw her predecessor thrown out of office and the main opposition party dissolved.

Paetongtarn, the daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, took the oath in a closed-door ceremony with King Maha Vajiralongkorn around 6:15 pm (1115 GMT), officially becoming Thailand’s youngest prime minister.

The 38-year-old leader was later seen greeting reporters before entering an official vehicle and leaving Government House.

The king congratulated her new cabinet, saying in a speech broadcast on television news: “I trust that you will perform your duties with excellence.”

Paetongtarn takes over from Srettha Thavisin, from her Pheu Thai party, after the kingdom’s Constitutional Court sacked him in mid-August for appointing a cabinet minister with a criminal conviction.

Her 36-member cabinet includes eight women, a record for Thailand, according to public broadcaster Thai PBS.