Category: Thai politics

Today’s Nation has a graphic of Prime Minister Yingluck’s Cabinet.

Here’s the original (larger) image and the accompanying story, which notes:

Prime Minister Yingluck Shina-watra’s Cabinet line-up, which got royal endorsement last night, has been described by political observers as acceptable.

It appears that the ruling Pheu Thai Party has tried to please critics while also avoiding political confrontation. No red-shirt leader figures in the Cabinet.

(Emphasis mine.)

(Via @Saksith.)

(Image: The Nation.)

Pavin Chachavalpongpun assesses, in today’s WSJ, some of the challenges facing Thai Prime Minister Elect Yingluck Shinawatra:

Public attention is now on Ms. Yingluck’s vision for the country: Whom will she appoint to the cabinet and what policies will she implement? She is expected to reveal her ministers shortly. She has remained tight-lipped over her choices and has fended off criticism that her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, is the real hand behind cabinet posts and policies.

Ms. Yingluck’s primary task is bringing back stability. So she has to appoint a cabinet and implement such policies that both reward key patrons in the winning coalition and build a credible profile for the new government–one that doesn’t lead the opposition to quickly cry foul.

Mr. Abhisit’s Democrats are wary of the possible return of Mr. Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. Hence the cabinet will probably consist of a mix of influential politicians with ties to Mr. Thaksin, as well as eminent technocrats and those successful in the private sector who aren’t seen as close to him.

And the concluding graphs:

Many Thais expect Ms. Yingluck to display her leadership and courage in addressing the difficult issue of social injustice and double standards, to heal the rift in their society. But there’s a giant question mark about how she will shape her relationship with the military and the palace. The military earlier accused Mr. Thaksin of disrespecting the much-revered monarchy. Consequently, he was toppled.

If Ms. Yingluck comes across as a weak leader, she will be manipulated. If she becomes too popular, she could be eliminated like her brother. The trick will be to promote those persons, ideas and policies that attain maximum consensus and ensure all-round political and economic development in Thailand.

(All emphasis mine.)

(Via @HarveyBKK.)

The official MCOT news agency reports that Prime Minister Elect Yingluck Shinawatra is set to receive a “royal command” later today:

House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranond was called on by the Office of His Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary to be granted an audience on His Majesty the King’s behalf in order to hand down a royal command appointing Yingluck Shinawatra as Thailand’s newest and first female prime minister.

The command will take place on Monday at 5.30 pm at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital, according to the Secretariat of the House of Representatives.

As for Yingluck’s cabinet, today’s Nation says that:

Prime Minister designate Yingluck Shinawatra is expected to submit her Cabinet line-up for royal endorsement tomorrow, Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said yesterday.

The government should be installed and ready to serve in time for the celebrations of Her Majesty’s birthday on August 12,” he said.

MCOT concurs:

The cabinet lineup is expected to be submitted for royal approval on Tuesday, while prime minister-to-be Yingluck Shinawatra will go ahead with tackling flooding as her administration’s first priority, said Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit on Sunday.

(All emphasis mine.)

The New York Times has a profile of Thai Prime Minister Elect Yingluck Shinawatra that includes some interesting details.

From the lede:

The first woman in this country of 65 million to hold the top political job, Ms. Yingluck is enjoying a rare luxury in the often macho world of Thai politics, floating above the political snake pit and dismissing prickly questions with her winning smile.

Yet Ms. Yingluck, 44, who has never held political office before, is also one of the least experienced leaders to emerge in a major Asian country in decades. A politician’s rapid rise to power is often called meteoric. But space rocks travel too slowly to describe Ms. Yingluck’s apparition in Thai politics.

Her political career spans about 80 days.

And:

Supporters of Pheu Thai say they admire the corporate successes of the Shinawatra family and see Ms. Yingluck as in touch with markets and the business world at large. In a country that reveres beauty, voters also appeared to have been charmed by Ms. Yingluck’s good looks. (One writer in The Bangkok Post, who was analyzing Ms. Yingluck’s hairstyle, waxed poetic: “That side part perfectly grazes your ear like a young lamb gently skipping over a meadow,” the author wrote.)

And there’s this, on the Kentucky connection:

In the 1970s, Mr. Thaksin obtained a master’s degree in criminal justice at Eastern Kentucky University. A decade and a half later, Ms. Yingluck got a masters in public administration an hour’s drive away, at Kentucky State University, a historically black institution amid horse farms and rolling hills.

(Felicia Lewis, a spokeswoman for Kentucky State, said the university was preparing a letter of congratulations for what may be its most famous alumna. “It’s a big deal here,” Ms. Lewis said.)

(All emphasis mine.)

Bloomberg notes that Thailand’s Parliament is set to open today, with prime minister to-be Yingluck Shinawatra ready to take the helm.

Thailand’s Parliament will open today for the first time since Yingluck Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai party won a majority last month, paving the way for lawmakers to select her as the country’s first female prime minister.

The Election Commission has certified all but four of 500 winning candidates in the July 3 vote, discarding complaints aiming to thwart the sister of exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra from taking power. Court rulings and a coup have overturned three previous Thaksin election wins since 2005.

“They won a landslide so it will be easier to manage the country,” said Suwat Bumrungchartudom, an analyst at Bangkok- based Bualuang Securities Pcl. “The coalition is quite solid. The question now is whether they can follow through on their commitments before the election.”

The Bangkok Post says Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will preside over the proceedings:

Pheu Thai Party is to unveil its choice of the new house speaker today as the lower house convenes for its official opening this afternoon following the July 3 general election.

The formal house opening will be held at the Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall in a royal ceremony to be presided over by HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn on behalf of His Majesty the King.

(Emphasis mine.)

Update: 7:15 p.m. Bangkok time: The Bangkok Post says the Parliament is now open. The story includes some photos.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn on Monday presided over the opening of parliament, allowing the House of Representatives to convene its first meeting tomorrow.