Thailand's Paetongtarn receives royal assent to officially become new prime minister

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - Thailand's newly elected Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Sunday received the royal assent to officially hold the office, local media reported.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn endorsed Paetongtarn as prime minister, two days after the Parliament elected her, Bangkok Post reported.

The approval was read out by House of Representatives Secretary Apat Sukhanand at a ceremony in Bangkok.

“I will listen to all opinions, so together, we can take the country forward with stability,” said Paetongtarn who got down on her knees and paid homage to a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn before giving a short speech.

Thanking the king and the people’s representatives for endorsing her as premier, she said she, as head of the executive branch, will do her duty "together with the legislators with an open heart."

The assent, a formality, has also allowed Paetongtarn, 37, to form her Cabinet, which is expected in the coming days.

Paetongtarn, the daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was elected as Thailand's 31st and the youngest premier on Friday.

She secured more than the required 247 votes in the lower house of Parliament, which consists of 493 lawmakers in the Southeast Asian nation.

Her election to the top post follows the removal of Srettha Thavisin by the Thai Constitutional Court on Wednesday over an ethics violation.

Paetongtarn is the third member of the influential Shinawatra family to serve as prime minister of Thailand. Her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, also held the position.