The mettle of Thailand's female Prime Minister before the "test" of credibility

With 319 votes of confidence, 162 votes against and 7 abstentions out of a total of 488 participating lawmakers, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra overcame a vote of no confidence in the country's National Assembly on March 26.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn at the no-confidence vote on March 26. (Source: THX)

House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha announced that the House of Representatives rejected the opposition's motion of no confidence against Ms. Paetongtarn. This is considered an important victory for the youngest female Prime Minister in Thai history. According to Reuters , although the support rate is not too outstanding, the result of the vote shows that Ms. Paetongtarn's coalition is still strong.

A vote of no confidence is an important mechanism in Thailand's parliamentary democracy, allowing the opposition and the public to "dissect" the government's performance, while the government has the opportunity to refute accusations and clarify its position. In Thai politics, votes of no confidence are often an opportunity for political opponents to criticize each other. These tactics often cause public frustration because they "do not bring constructive contributions".

During the debate on March 24, the opposition questioned the 39-year-old Prime Minister on various issues. The statements focused on criticizing the Prime Minister's government operations, the ruling coalition's failure to implement election commitments, favoritism toward her family, and allowing her father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to interfere in the government...

Speaking before the hearing, the Thai Prime Minister expressed confidence that he would answer all questions from the opposition with full and clear data.

Ms. Paetongtarn emphasized that the Government under her leadership always strictly complies with all legal regulations and is making efforts to implement all policies presented to the National Assembly since September 2024. The female Prime Minister denied the accusations against her during the debate and repeatedly said that she only received advice from her father, her government was not influenced by anyone...

After winning the no-confidence vote, Prime Minister Paetongtarn said, “all votes, whether in favor or against, will be the driving force for me and the Cabinet to continue working hard for the people.”

"Asking you all to evaluate my skills and efforts as prime minister," she asserted, "criticism should focus on the job. That would be more beneficial to the parliament and the country."

According to the Bangkok Post , the Prime Minister represents a new generation of leaders, so the behavior of the head of government at this crucial time will shape public perception and influence the trajectory of Thai politics in the coming years.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ban-linh-cua-nu-thu-tuong-thai-lan-truoc-bai-kiem-tra-tin-nhiem-309001.html