One of Thailand’s largest political parties, founded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, elected a new leader yesterday, the party said.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra stepped down as Pheu Thai party chief last week after a court removed her as prime minister in August over an ethics breach linked to a border dispute with Cambodia.
Analysts say her departure was a strategic move to shield Pheu Thai from potential legal challenges and could mark the end of the Shinawatra family’s decades-long dominance in Thai politics.
Photo: AFP
Pheu Thai members elected former deputy minister of finance Julapun Amornvivat as their new leader, a livestream on the party’s Facebook page showed.
“I feel honored to receive this privilege and thank all party members for their confidence,” Julapun said.
Julapun, 50, is the son of veteran politician Sompong Amornvivat, who served as deputy Thai prime minister and led Pheu Thai in 2019.
He was among those promoting the party’s flagship campaign policies ahead of the 2023 election, including a proposed 10,000 baht (US$309) stimulus handout and the legalization of casinos.
However, observers said that whoever leads Pheu Thai would remain under the influence of party patriarch Thaksin and his political dynasty.
The Shinawatra clan has been the key foe of Thailand’s pro-military, pro-royalty elite who view their populist brand of politics as a threat to the traditional social order for two decades.
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