King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Sunday officially endorsed Paetongtarn Shinawatra as Thailand’s new prime minister, after parliament elected her as the country’s youngest prime minister.
Paetongtarn’s royal assent took place during a traditional ceremony after it received the backing of parliament on Friday by a majority of nearly two-thirds.
Paetongtarn, 37, a scion of the powerful Shinawatra clan and leader of the ruling Pheu Thai party, will now appoint a cabinet.
“This is a big mission that cannot be accomplished by the prime minister alone. I expect to coordinate power among people of all generations and capable people in all sectors in Thailand, including the cabinet, coalition parties, civil servants, the private sector and the general public,” she said at the ceremony, according to a report in the Bangkok Post.
Paetongtarn is the second woman to hold this position, after her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra.
Her appointment follows the resignation on Wednesday of Srettha Thavisin, who was forced to step down by a ruling by the Constitutional Court.
Paetongtarn is the daughter of billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin and his sister Yingluck both ruled for several years but were deposed in military coups.
Thaksin went into exile in 2008 to avoid a prison sentence, but was immediately arrested when he returned last year.
Paetongtarn said she had no plans to appoint her father to a government position but would seek his advice, the Bangkok Post reported.
Thaksin has since been released, but he is still being prosecuted for lèse majesté, or defamation of the monarch.
