Will Paetongtarn or Srettha be the next PM?
The Pheu Thai Party is likely to win the general election with the support of 32% of voters for both the party-list and constituency votes, according to an exit poll by Nation Group.
As a result, one of its two leading candidates for prime minister – Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Srettha Thavisin – will be nominated to be the next prime minister of Thailand when the House and Senate convene to select the country’s next political leader.
Here are backgrounds of the two candidates:
Paetongtarn has the DNA to accomplish more as prime minister than her father and her aunt did, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra said in a recent interview.
She has both his and her mother’s DNA, explained Thaksin, who was premier from 2001 till 2006 when he was ousted in bloodless coup.
His sister, Yingluck, suffered a similar fate in 2014.
Paetongtarn is different, Thaksin said.
When Yingluck campaigned ahead of the 2011 election she used the slogan “Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai acts”.
Now, Thaksin said, the proper slogan should be: “Thaksin’s DNA thinks, Thaksin’s DNA acts.”
Despite her solid popularity in earlier opinion surveys, some observers have doubted she is Pheu Thai’s top choice for prime minister. These doubts increased after the party named property tycoon Srettha Thavisin as another of its candidates for the top job.
Paetongtarn’s role is to win votes for the party, but the job of running Thailand will be given to Srettha due to his managerial skills and maturity, the observers say.
Her photo may emblazon Pheu Thai’s campaign signs across the country but she’s the party’s figurehead, they argue.
Paetongtarn officially entered politics as Thaksin’s latest political heir when Pheu Thai introduced her as the head of the Pheu Thai Family project on March 20, 2022. She was not named as a potential PM candidate but her bold announcement hinted she would be.
“We want to go to war again and win 14 million votes, just like Pheu Thai received in previous elections,” she said as she took on the senior role in the political party that traces its roots to her father’s Thai Rak Thai party.
She missed a million votes – Pheu Thai won 15 million in the election that led to Yingluck becoming Thailand’s first woman prime minister – but she proved herself to be a charismatic orator.
She also handled interviews expertly, adeptly explaining that democracy is at the core of economic development as well as a necessity for improving the livelihoods at the grassroots level, and personally connecting with audiences.
Paetongtarn did not slow down as her pregnancy progressed. She is due to deliver her second child on May 7, a week before the general election, but still takes the stage for massive rallies with party candidates across the country.
She is Pheu Thai’s star attraction.
Her photo was emblazoned on the party’s first campaign signs, which went up across the country on December 6.
At a rally on March 9, she made another bold announcement: Pheu Thai aims to win 310 out of 500 House seats.
Party leaders and members frequently tell supporters they need to win by a landslide so that their MPs can neutralise the votes of the pro-military senators who will have a say in selecting Thailand’s next premier.
In February, Paetongtarn won more respect from her millions of supporters during an interview in English on the YouTube channel of the Today news agency, by saying political polarisation – the rift between the yellow and red shirt camps – was a thing of the past.
Her rival Prayut has never been interviewed in English for any broadcast.
When Paetongtarn confirmed she would be a candidate for prime minister she said she was open to cooperating with any party with similar polices, and respect for democracy and the people’s voice.
Paetongtarn was born in Bangkok on August 21 to Thaksin and Potjaman Na Pombejra.
She attended Saint Joseph Convent School for junior high school and Mater Dei School for high school. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science in 2008 and continued her studies in England, earning a MSC degree in International Hotel Management from the University of Surrey.
Paetongtarn is a major shareholder and a director of about 20 of the 30 companies owned by her family.
Paetongtarn is the top shareholder of SC Asset Corporation and a director of Thaicom Foundation. She is married to Pitaka Suksawat. They have one daughter.
Property tycoon Srettha sent shockwaves through Thailand late last year with tweets hinting he was eyeing the post of prime minister under the Pheu Thai banner.
“I’m already with Pheu Thai,” Srettha posted, in reply to a Twitter user who suggested he would be a popular PM candidate for the opposition party.
In a subsequent Twitter message, Srettha ridiculed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha without naming names.
“In the past six to eight years, our country’s leader has not led Thailand in the global forum. The next leader will need to have guts to speak out on the world stage.”
The message went viral and was seen as Srettha’s declaration he would run for prime minister.
At the start of this month, it became clear he would be on the list of Pheu Thai’s three PM candidates along with Paetongtarn.
On March 1, Srettha visited Pheu Thai headquarters to be formally ushered into the party as chief adviser to Paetongtarn in her role as head of the Pheu Thai Family.
A day later, expectations were heightened when Pheu Thai appointed him as a member of the party’s economic team.
“It requires great sacrifice to be the prime minister, having to work 24/7. I admit I’m addicted to a comfortable life. If I decide to work as PM, I must sacrifice myself.”
But observers are still wondering whether Srettha is merely on the list to boost Paetongtarn’s bid, or is it the other way round?
Before the emergence of Srettha, 36-year-old Paetongtarn was the top choice for next prime minister in most surveys of public opinion.
But her popularity is up against the formidable management skills of Srettha. Some analysts believe Thaksin has lined up Srettha to take the prime minister’s post after Paetongtarn’s popularity helps the party win a landslide victory.
Paetongtarn admitted herself on March 4 that Srettha is suitable for the top executive post.
“He is a capable person with a lot of skills. This can be seen from his success in the business world,” she said.
He took unpaid leave as CEO of property developer Sansiri Plc and he transferred his 661,002,734 Sansiri shares to his daughter, Chanada Thavisin.
Srettha told Nation Group in a recent interview that he would urgently address four issues if he leads the next government.
He would make the need to increase people’s income a national agenda. His government would amend the Constitution and improve Thailand’s international influence and standing on the global stage. Finally, he said his government would push for better rights and equality for minorities including LGBTQ people.
He obtained a Master’s in finance from Claremont Graduate School in the United States.
Srettha began his career in 1986 as an assistant manager of P&G (Thailand) Co Ltd. He later entered the property development business and climbed the ladder to become Sansiri president and CEO.
With Srettha at the helm in 2021, Sansiri reported revenue of 29.747 billion baht and profit of 2.017 billion baht.
Although many believe he is Pheu Thai’s “real PM candidate”, only time will tell whether Srettha is “the one”. Observers said Thaksin’s choice will become clearer when Pheu Thai announces its third PM candidate.
