Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the leader of Thailand’s ruling Pheu Thai party, was elected prime minister in an extraordinary session of parliament on Friday, just two days after Thailand’s Constitutional Court dismissed Srettha Thavisin.
Paetongtarn, who won a clear majority in parliament on Friday morning, will become the country’s second female prime minister.
The 37-year-old is the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the niece of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Both were in power for several years, but were then deposed in military coups and went into exile.
Srettha, 62, was ousted on Wednesday after less than a year in office following legal action by 40 senators, who accused him of appointing Pichit Chuenban as a minister in violation of rules that prohibit appointments of people with criminal records. The court ruled in favor of the senators.
Thaksin, a billionaire, returned to Thailand in August last year after living in self-imposed exile since 2008.
