Thailand swears in Shinawatra heiress as youngest PM

BANGKOK: Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the heiress of Thailand´s most famous political dynasty, was sworn in as prime minister on Friday, capping a month of turmoil in which her predecessor was thrown out of office and the main opposition party dissolved.

Paetongtarn, the youngest daughter of controversial 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 is the third member of the Shinawatra political dynasty to lead the country in the past 23 years, following her father and her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra.

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 replaces Srettha Thavisin, from her Pheu Thai party, after his shock dismissal in mid-August by the kingdom´s Constitutional Court for appointing a cabinet minister with a criminal conviction.

She takes the helm of Southeast Asia´s second-largest economy with growth and investment stagnating as political instability lingers.

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

Paetongtarn, a relative newcomer to politics, urged her party´s enemies on Thursday to give her a chance.

“Please be kind to me, please don´t throw any lawsuits on me, I am trying my best,” she told reporters.