Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will face a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, marking an early test of the strength and unity of her ruling coalition after two days of fierce opposition scrutiny.
At just 38, Paetongtarn became Thailand’s youngest prime minister in August. Despite facing sharp criticism during the televised censure debate and holding lukewarm public approval ratings, she is widely expected to survive the vote, with no clear signs of fracture within her 11-party alliance, which controls 320 out of 500 seats in the lower house.
Over the course of the debate, the opposition launched a series of allegations, ranging from economic mismanagement and tax evasion to nepotism and claims that she has allowed her influential father, Thaksin Shinawatra, to exert undue influence on her administration.
Thaksin, a polarising former premier and billionaire, spent 15 years in self-imposed exile after being convicted of abuse of power and conflict of interest. He returned to Thailand in 2023, served time under hospital detention, and was later released on parole, insisting he had retired from politics. His shadow, however, continues to loom over Thai politics and his daughter's premiership.
Paetongtarn, the fourth member of the Shinawatra family to become prime minister, denied the accusations in her closing remarks on Tuesday.
“I am doing this with the best of my abilities. I am also Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughter, I say this proudly,” she said. “I ask all of you to assess my skills and efforts as prime minister. Criticism should be about the work. That will be more beneficial for this parliament and the country.”
The motion would need more than half of the lawmakers present to vote in favour of removing her for it to pass.
Türkiye is closely monitoring developments in Syria and considers the country’s unity and territorial integrity vital for regional stability, Presi...
At least four people were killed on Tuesday as floods swept across Tunisia during the worst torrential rain for more than 70 years in some regions, an...
Wall Street closed sharply lower on Tuesday as global markets fell after U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariff threats against Europe unsettled i...
A Russian air attack cut power to more than one million Kyiv residents and impacted substations carrying power from Ukraine's atomic plants on Tuesday...
A commuter train derailed on Tuesday after a containment wall fell on the track due to heavy rain near the Spanish city of Barcelona, killing the driv...
Türkiye is closely monitoring developments in Syria and considers the country’s unity and territorial integrity vital for regional stability, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told President Donald Trump during a phone call on Tuesday, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.
The world has already entered an era of global water bankruptcy, with irreversible damage to rivers, aquifers, lakes and glaciers pushing billions of people into long-term water insecurity, according to a major United Nations report released on Tuesday.
U.S. forces have seized another oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean, marking the seventh such detention in recent weeks as Washington intensifies enforcement of sanctions on illicit oil shipments.
President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev outlined Azerbaijan’s economic priorities, investment strategy and regional connectivity role while speaking at the Euronews Davos Azerbaijan Executive Breakfast on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.
Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died at the age of 93, his foundation said on Monday.
More than 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 96 in western Michigan on Monday (19 January), forcing the highway to shut in both directions amid severe winter weather.
A fresh consignment of precision-guided munitions has departed from the Indian city of Nagpur bound for Yerevan, marking the latest phase in the rapidly expanding defence partnership between India and Armenia.
Syria's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that about 120 Islamic State detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison, after the Kurdish website Rudaw reported that a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Farhad Shami, said around 1,500 Islamic State members had escaped.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose a 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes after France declined to join his proposed Board of Peace on Gaza initiative.
A Russian air attack cut power to more than one million Kyiv residents and impacted substations carrying power from Ukraine's atomic plants on Tuesday.
A commuter train derailed on Tuesday after a containment wall fell on the track due to heavy rain near the Spanish city of Barcelona, killing the driver and seriously injuring passengers, a fire brigade official said.
U.S. forces have seized another oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean, marking the seventh such detention in recent weeks as Washington intensifies enforcement of sanctions on illicit oil shipments.
Poland will begin phasing out the special residence and welfare rules granted to Ukrainians who fled the war with Russia, shifting them onto the country’s standard legal framework for foreign nationals from March, the government said on Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would “work something out” with NATO allies on Tuesday, defending his approach to the alliance while renewing his push for U.S. control of Greenland amid rising tensions with Europe.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment