Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra announced on Monday that her new cabinet has been finalized and will be submitted for royal endorsement this week. The formation of the new government is expected to be completed by mid-September.
Expected Continuity and Change
The upcoming cabinet is likely to retain the current finance and foreign ministers but will include 11 new faces among ministers and deputy ministers. Sorawong Thienthong, Secretary General of Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai Party, noted that the new administration should hold slightly more parliamentary seats than the previous one but did not disclose the names of the new cabinet members.
Paetongtarn’s Historic Premiership
Paetongtarn, Thailand’s youngest prime minister and the second woman to hold the office, is also the fourth member of her billionaire family to assume the role. She won the vote with 319 votes, nearly two-thirds of the parliamentary seats, despite not being present in parliament during the vote.
Political Turmoil and Transition
The political landscape in Thailand shifted dramatically last month when Srettha Thavisin, the former prime minister, was removed from office by a court decision. Thavisin’s ousting led to a period of political instability, but the Pheu Thai Party quickly consolidated support around Paetongtarn, leading to her election as prime minister by parliament shortly thereafter.
Coalition Shifts and Party Dynamics
The new government will exclude the military-aligned Palang Pracharat party and has incorporated its longtime rival, the Democrat Party, into the coalition. The court’s dismissal of Srettha also led to the dissolution of the anti-establishment Move Forward Party, which had won the 2023 election. The dissolution was linked to the party’s campaign to amend a royal insult law, which the court deemed a threat to the constitutional monarchy.
Emerging Opposition
In response to these political shifts, the Move Forward Party’s supporters have regrouped under a new entity called the People’s Party, continuing to challenge the Pheu Thai’s dominance.
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