Thailand's Political Dynasty Shinawatra Returns: Paetongtarn Shinawatra Becomes Prime Minister

Thailand's political landscape is undergoing a remarkable shift: the Shinawatra family, which has significantly shaped the country since the beginning of the century, is back at the helm. Ten years after the ousting of Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has now been appointed Prime Minister. The Shinawatras have dominated numerous elections in Thailand since 2001 but were repeatedly ousted by a royalist establishment that viewed them as a threat. However, in the past year, former adversaries united to keep the rising, progressive Move Forward party from gaining power. With Thaksin's return from self-imposed exile and the formation of a new coalition government comprising the Pheu Thai party, which he supports, and pro-military groups, many Thais are now questioning what the Shinawatras truly represent. The Shinawatra family, descendants of a Chinese immigrant who married a Thai woman in the late 19th century, is considered Thailand's most significant political dynasty. Over the past 23 years, three of its members have held the nation's highest political office. Thaksin himself, a polarizing yet persistent figure, began his political career in 2001 and won a landslide victory in 2005 with his Thai Rak Thai party. However, his second term abruptly ended in a military coup in 2006. Thaksin left Thailand in 2008 to evade corruption charges, which he called politically motivated. His sister Yingluck won the 2011 election and became Thailand's first female Prime Minister. She too was deposed in 2014 following a court ruling and a subsequent coup.