Parliament Elects Paetongtarn Shinawatra To Become Thailand's PM

The House of Representatives tapped Pheu Thai Party (PTP) leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of ex-Prime Minister and political patron of her party Thaksin Shinawatra, to become the youngest Prime Minister in her nation's history, following the ouster of her predecessor Srettha Thavisin earlier this week.

• The Constitutional Court's verdict removing Srettha from his post was followed by several rounds of negotiations, in which PTP heavyweights were trying to choose between Patongtarn and Chaikasem Nitisiri, with the odds shifting in favour of the former candidate at the eleventh hour. In the course of the discussions, some were pointing to Paetongtarn's relative inexperience, while others to Chaikasem's alleged health issues.
• Paetongtarn's PM bid was backed by 319 MPs, with 145 voting against and 27 abstaining. This testifies to the continued discipline in the ranks of the 11-party ruling coalition, which currently has 314 MPs in the lower house, despite recent reports of tensions between the PTP and its former rivals from military-affiliated parties such as Palang Pracharath (PPRP) and the United Thai Nation (UTN). Notably, however, PPRP leader Prawit Wongsuwan skipped the vote.
• Speculation that Paetongtarn could scrap the PTP's flagship "digital wallet" policy continued to do the rounds today, with source reports flagging Thaksin's conviction that the plan should be put on hold. The PM-designate today refused to answer questions about the future of the cash handout scheme. The future of the scheme will have implications for both fiscal policy (due to its hefty price tag) and monetary policy (potentially making it easier for the BoT to cut rates if the idea is ditched).