Thailand’s new PM makes TIME100 Next list

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has made waves by being included in the prestigious TIME100 Next list of leaders for 2024, as announced by Time magazine. This remarkable recognition marks a significant milestone for the 38 year old politician, who has emerged as a trailblazer in Thai politics.

Elected as Thailand’s 31st Prime Minister following the dismissal of property tycoon Srettha Thavisin by the Constitutional Court, Paetongtarn stands out as the only Thai representative in the Leaders category of this influential list, which encompasses five categories: Artist, Phenoms, Innovators, Advocates, and Leaders.

“This summer, Paetongtarn Shinawatra made history. On August 18, just days before her 38th birthday, she was confirmed as Thailand’s Prime Minister and Asia’s youngest-ever female leader,” the magazine reported.

Paetongtarn’s ascent to power, however, was not entirely unexpected. As the youngest daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire media mogul who was PM from 2001 to 2006, her political lineage is well-documented. Time also pointed out that her family members, Yingluck Shinawatra and Somchai Wongsawat, have previously occupied the top job, only to face removal through judicial and military interventions.

“If Paetongtarn is to avoid her family’s legacy of political banishment, she must find ways to implement new economic policies while pacifying the nation’s power nexus.”

Reflecting on the need for change, she told the magazine last year, “Thailand needs change.”

Notably, the Thai PM joins the ranks of influential figures in her party, as former leaders of the dissolved Future Forward and Move Forward parties, Thanatorn Juangroongruangkit and Pita Limjaroenrat, were recognised in 2019 and 2023, respectively.

Paetongtarn’s inclusion is a historic first for the Pheu Thai Party, while her aunt Yingluck was celebrated in Forbes’ Most Powerful Women list in 2011 and 2012, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, in a fresh scandal targeting PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra, political firebrand Ruangkrai Leekitwattana has filed a complaint with the Election Commission (EC), accusing her of violating anti-graft laws by holding a significant company stake post-election.