What challenges does Petunthan face as the Prime Minister of Thailand?
2024-08-25
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Just two days after former Prime Minister Setiawan was dismissed, the Lower House of the Thai Parliament voted on the 16th to elect a new prime minister. Petunthan Shinawatra, who belongs to the same Pheu Thai Party as Setiawan and serves as the party leader, was successfully elected.
Petunthan, 37, is the youngest daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Why was she elected as the new prime minister? What political challenges will she face after taking office? Can she promote Thailand's economic recovery? Please read the analysis -
This is a file photo of Petunthan Shinawatra attending a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand on August 15. Xinhua News Agency
Why her?
Petunthan has always been seen as a potential candidate to inherit the Shinawatra family's political assets. The Pheu Thai Party she leads was derived from the Thai Rak Thai Party founded by her father Thaksin. The latter was dissolved after Thaksin's government was overthrown by a military coup, and the Pheu Thai Party absorbed most of the forces that originally supported the Thai Rak Thai Party.
In May last year, the Pheu Thai Party became the second largest party in the lower house of parliament in the general election. Because the largest party, the Future Forward Party, failed to get its nomination for prime minister twice, the Pheu Thai Party was able to lead the formation of the new government and lead the ruling coalition. Since this month, the Thai Constitutional Court has made two major rulings: on the 7th, it ruled that the Future Forward Party had violated the constitution and announced the dissolution of the party; on the 14th, it ruled that Setha's nomination of a person with a criminal record as a minister during the cabinet reshuffle was unconstitutional and removed him from his position as prime minister.
After Setha was dismissed, the Pheu Thai Party and its ruling allies held urgent consultations on nominating a new prime minister candidate. Petunthan received support from representatives of various parties, including Anutin, the leader of the second largest party in the ruling coalition. They stated that the prime ministerial election is related to the continuity of national governance, and the current situation does not allow the "political vacuum" to last too long. Other countries are closely watching the changes in Thailand's political situation, and the new prime minister needs to be "promoted as soon as possible."
On August 16, in Bangkok, Thailand, Petongthan Shinawatra (front) attended a press conference at the Pheu Thai Party headquarters after being elected as the new Prime Minister of Thailand. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Lahen)
Petthorn was one of the Pheu Thai Party's prime ministerial candidates in the 2023 general election. She became the leader of the Pheu Thai Party in October of that year. In the special meeting of the House of Representatives on the 16th, she was the only candidate nominated and received the support of more than half of the members, and was elected as the new prime minister. According to the procedure, Petthorn's formal inauguration still needs the approval of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. After taking office, she will be the second female prime minister in Thai history after Thaksin's sister Yingluck, and will also become Thailand's youngest prime minister.
Balancing the interests of all parties is a major challenge
After being elected on the 16th, Petunthan said at a brief press conference held at the Pheu Thai Party headquarters that the details of the formation of the new cabinet need to wait for the king to sign and issue the formal appointment of prime minister before discussion.
Regarding the allocation of ministerial positions in the new government, Pheu Thai Party leader Anutin said that the ruling coalition unanimously agreed that everyone will continue to serve in their current roles. Public opinion also generally believes that since the power is still in the hands of the ruling coalition led by the Pheu Thai Party, the change of prime minister will not have much impact on current policies.
On August 22, 2023, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (center) arrived at Don Muang Airport in Bangkok. Photo by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Lahen)
Thaksin has always been one of the most influential and controversial politicians in Thailand. He and his sister Yingluck have both served as prime ministers of Thailand. They were both forced to step down due to coups and then lived in exile abroad for a long time.
After the general election last year, the Pheu Thai Party and the conservative parties reached a "reconciliation" and Thaksin ended his 15-year exile and returned to Thailand. On the day Thaksin returned, Setha was elected prime minister. Thailand's The Nation believes that Setha was dismissed from office less than a year after taking office as prime minister, becoming the fourth Thai prime minister in Thaksin's camp to be dismissed by the Constitutional Court, which shows that the differences between Thaksin's camp and the conservatives still exist.
As Thaksin's daughter, Petuntan will inevitably face questions from the outside world about how Thaksin will influence her administration. The Nation believes that Petuntan has no previous political experience and will receive a lot of attention and pressure after being elected prime minister. How to balance the interests of all parties is also a major challenge for her.
Thai media analyzed that although the Pheu Thai Party safely passed the prime minister change this time, the various political factions in Thailand have been fighting for a long time and the contradictions are complicated. It is expected that the Thai political arena will still be "stormy" in the next few years.
Vow to maintain economic policy continuity
Currently, Thailand's economy is hit by high household debt levels, weak exports and sluggish consumption, and political turmoil has also hit the confidence of foreign investors. In July, the World Bank lowered its forecast for Thailand's economic growth in 2024 from 2.8% to 2.4%. Thailand's recent political instability has also had a negative impact on the economy. After Setha was dismissed, the Thai stock market fell sharply.
On June 22, people were shopping for seafood at the Thonburi seafood market in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Weitong
Analysts believe that political uncertainty in Thailand may further dampen business and consumer confidence and slow down the country's economic recovery. Therefore, whether the new prime minister can quickly stabilize the political situation and implement effective economic policies will determine the future direction of Thailand's economy.
The Thai business community generally welcomed the ruling coalition's decision to nominate Petunthan as its candidate for prime minister.
At a press conference announcing her candidacy for prime minister on the 15th, Petunthan said she was ready to accept the post of prime minister and would do her utmost to lead the country in coping with economic challenges. She would succeed former prime minister Setthala and continue to promote Pheu Thai Party's policies for the people. Petunthan's statement responded to the concerns of relevant parties that the power transition would affect the sustainability of Thailand's economic policies.
