Thaksin’s daughter confident about prime minister election

“The country needs reform now, needs better policies and people need a better life. Our party is ready and able to help people,” said Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 36-year-old youngest daughter of Mr. Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said during an election campaign in Nong Khai province on January 28.

Ms. Paetongtarn, who currently leads polls on Thai prime ministerial candidates, said she was “100 per cent ready” to be one of three candidates to represent the Pheu Thai party. A series of surveys also show that Pheu Thai is the party likely to win the most seats in the Thai parliament.

Ms. Paetongtarn said the Pheu Thai party is 100% confident in its ability to win enough seats in parliament to form its own government, rather than form a coalition government.

“We’re aiming for a resounding victory and we’re very optimistic about that,” she said.

The Pheu Thai Party is luring voters with its pledge to raise the minimum wage by 70% and raise agricultural prices while cutting energy prices. The party also promised to raise economic growth to 5% annually and expand health insurance coverage.

Thaksin’s family members showed great traction in Thai elections from 2001 to 2011, when populist policies helped Thaksin and his sister Yingluck win tens of millions of votes. elected from the working poor in rural and urban areas to become prime minister.

Mr. Thaksin served as prime minister of Thailand since 2001 but was ousted after a 2006 military coup. In 2011, Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin’s sister, became prime minister of Thailand but was also overthrown by the military. and overthrown in 2014. The two are said to be living in exile in Dubai.

Thailand is scheduled to hold a general election in May, when 500 members of the House of Representatives end their terms on March 23.

Ngoc Anh (Theo Bloomberg)