Thailand's House of Representatives on Friday elected Yingluck Shinawatra to become the country's first female prime minster, paving the way for a new government expected by next week. Yingluck's selection, by a 296 to 3 vote in the lower house, will become official as soon as it in endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 83, who is head of state.
Yingluck, 44, is the youngest sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, the fugitive former prime minister between 2001 and 2006 who currently resides in self-exile in Dubai to avoid a two-year jail term on an abuse of power conviction. Although forced to live abroad to avoid prison, Thaksin is still deemed the de facto leader of the Pheu Thai party that won the July 3 general election, securing 265 of the 500 contested seats.
The Pheu Thai has established a coalition with five smaller parties - Chart Thai Pattana, Palang Chon, Chart Pattana Pheu Pendin, Prachatipat Mai and Mahachon - securing a comfortable majority, with 300 seats in the Lower House. The new cabinet is expected to be announced early next week. Pheu Thai's triumph at the polls has been attributed to the ongoing popularity of Thaksin, whose populist policies during his two-term premiership won him a mass following among the urban and rural poor, plus Yingluck's appeal as a new face on the political scene.
Another winning factor was the party's campaign promises, designed to win the votes of labourers and farmers. Thailand's business community has expressed concerns about Pheu Thai's promise to raise the minimum daily wage to 300 baht (10 dollars), representing an average hike of 70 per cent nation-wide.
Other policies include a promise to raise the entry wage for college graduates to 15,000 baht a month, to give away 800,000 computer tablets to first graders nationwide, and to pay farmers 15,000 baht per ton of rice they grow regardless of world prices. Economists have expressed fears that the policies could lead to higher inflation, which hit 4 per cent year-on-year last month. Former Securities and Exchange Commission secretary-general Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala resigned his post on Thursday, leading to speculation that he was preparing to accept the post as finance minister in the next cabinet.