Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand, today survived an attempted no-confidence vote in the Thai assembly. On Wednesday, she triumphed by garnering the backing of 319 of the 488 lawmakers on hand. This triumph strengthens her coalition government’s lock on power, even as discontent rises amid steep economic and national security pressures. A majority of voters thought the vote would benefit Shinawatra. Notably, support for her administration was expected to form an early and strong barrier against any coup attempt.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the niece of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, has faced significant challenges during her initial six months in office. Public confidence in her government’s ability to resolve national problems is high. Her latest reported results from recent polls still showed 54.88% unhappy with her performance, versus only 45.12% satisfied. Her short time in office has been characterized by charges of economic incompetence, failure in national security, and personal tax evasion.
Critics claim that Shinawatra allows her father—former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra—to control her government behind the scenes. Thaksin was Thailand’s prime minister from 2001 to 2006. These allegations run the gamut from alleging that Thaksin is secretly instructing his daughter’s government from exile. There’s the perception of a knowledge gap in her administration and its inclination to shy away from challenging reporters’ questions.
Despite these challenges, outcome would’ve been widely expected to survive the no-confidence vote Shinawatra’s government. Yet her political survival relied on the ruling coalition’s unprecedented numerical majority in parliament. The vote's outcome does not erase the issues raised by opposition parties and critics regarding her government's performance.