A no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (38) was rejected.
According to Reuters and other sources on the 26th (local time), during the vote held in the House of Representatives that day, Prime Minister Paetongtarn received 319 votes in favor, 162 against, and 7 abstentions, allowing him to continue in office. For the no-confidence motion to pass, a majority of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives must cast a vote of no confidence.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was elected Thailand’s youngest prime minister at the age of 37 in August last year. She is the second female prime minister of Thailand, following her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra, and the fourth prime minister associated with the Shinawatra family.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn faced a no-confidence motion amid allegations from the opposition that she was improperly influenced by her father and mismanaged the country. The opposition also raised concerns about her economic policy failures and allegations of tax evasion.
However, before the vote, the outlook was largely that the possibility of a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Paetongtarn was slim. This was because her party, Pheu Thai, and coalition parties held more than 320 of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn said, “The opposition can ask me to step down from the prime ministership, but they cannot ask me not to be my father’s daughter.” She also claimed that she only received advice from her father and was not influenced by anyone in her governance.