By Enyichukwu Enemanna
38-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Thailand, ending a month of political turmoil that saw her predecessor removed from office by a court over ethical violations.
Paetongtarn, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, took the oath of office on Friday in a closed-door ceremony with King Maha Vajiralongkorn in attendance, officially becoming Thailand’s youngest Prime Minister.
She was later seen greeting reporters before entering an official vehicle and leaving Government House.
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 the kingdom’s Constitutional Court sacked him in mid-August for appointing a cabinet minister with a criminal conviction.
Her 36-member cabinet includes eight women, a record for Thailand, according to public broadcaster Thai PBS.
Heritage Times HT reports that the case for which the Constitutional Court judged Srettha involved his appointment of a Cabinet member who had been imprisoned over an alleged attempt to bribe a court official.
The court voted 5:4 against Srettha and the ruling removed him from office immediately.
