The daughter of the former owner of Man City has been named Thailand’s youngest ever prime minister

The 37-year-old heir to a powerful but controversial political dynasty has been elected Thailand’s youngest prime minister after a shock court ruling that plunged the kingdom into crisis.

Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra was elected by the Thai parliament on Friday, days after judges removed her predecessor Srettha Thavisin for breaching ethics standards.

Ms Paetongtarn is the youngest daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire who once owned Manchester City football club. He was ousted in a military coup in 2006 but has maintained a strong presence behind the scenes.

His brother-in-law and sister have served as prime minister since he fled into exile, though both were eventually ousted by a royalist-military army that despised him. Still, feeling threatened by a young progressive party, a murky deal with that elite allowed Thaksin to return after a 15-year exile last year.

Now, his daughter’s ascension to the nation’s top job is a clear indication that Mr Thaksin has no intention of retiring from the political fray.

Dr Napon Jatusripitak, visiting fellow at the ISEAS Yusof-Ishak Institute think tank in Singapore, said: “Paetongtarn’s ascension to the position of prime minister means that the Shinawatra clan will play an even more direct role in shaping the policy and political direction of this government.

“It also means that the Shinawatra clan will return to its former status as the most polarizing force in Thai politics, as many Thai conservatives still cannot accept the legitimacy of a Shinawatra prime minister.”

He added that her appointment could end badly for the Shinawatra family: Mr Thaksin will have to “tread carefully” to ensure his daughter does not suffer the same fate as Mr Sretta, while Ms Paetongtarn will have to work hard to prove that “she answers to the Thai people rather than her father”.

Ms Paetongtarn worked for the family’s hotel group before entering politics last year, when she began campaigning for her Pheu Thai party while pregnant. Although she is a skilled communicator, she is not popular – in a June opinion poll, she had only a five percent approval rating.

Many see the mother of two as inexperienced, fueling the perception that she is simply Mr Thaksin’s puppet. On Thursday, a former minister told the Telegraph the opposition were “like vultures, waiting to eat her alive”.

Ms Paetongtarn’s rise comes after another turbulent period for Thai politics.

Last week, the same court that ousted Mr Srettha dissolved the reformist Move Forward Party and banned its leaders from politics. The group won the most seats and votes in the 2023 election but was barred from leading a coalition by the powerful royalist military.

In parliament on Friday, the head of a new iteration of Move Forward, called the People’s Party, bemoaned the “law” by the courts – reflecting a wider frustration among many in Thailand about the limits of democracy in the Southeast Asian country.

But the kingdom has other challenges that will immediately clog Ms. Paetongtarn’s inbox.

“Thailand is currently facing economic problems that may be beyond the ability of even the best leaders to fix,” Dr Napon said. “The next election will show whether he succeeded.”

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