Paetongtarn Shinawatra received a formal endorsement from Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, becoming the country’s youngest prime minister.
Paetongtarn’s royal ratification took place at a traditional ceremony on Sunday, after she won a parliament vote on Friday by almost two-thirds majority.
The 37-year-old was picked for the prime ministerial post after the country’s Constitutional Court dismissed Srettha Thavisin in an ethics violation case.
“The royal appointment is the highest honor to me and my family,” she told state-owned NBT TV. “I pledge to work at my full capacity and loyalty.”
The youngest daughter of former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra won the parliamentary vote for the top job by keeping intact an unwieldy alliance between the Shinawatra-controlled Pheu Thai Party and a number of royalist, conservative and military-backed parties that joined together following an election last year.
Paetongtarn becomes the third member of the influential Shinawatra clan to lead the country. Her father was removed in a 2006 coup while her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, was disqualified by a court shortly before a 2014 takeover by the military.
