Thai prime minister faces no-confidence vote in early test of coalition unity

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.

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