Thailand's newly chosen cabinet is set to be presented for royal approval this week, according to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's announcement on Monday.
Earlier statements from high-ranking officials in her interim government indicated that the new administration should be operational by mid-September. Reports from local media, citing anonymous sources, suggest that the upcoming cabinet will maintain the current finance and foreign ministers but will introduce 11 new ministers and deputy ministers.
Sorawong Thienthong, the secretary-general of Paetongtarn's Pheu Thai Party, informed Reuters that the new government is anticipated to secure slightly more parliamentary seats than its predecessor. He refrained from commenting on the specifics of the new cabinet members.
Following Srettha Thavisin's removal from the premiership by a court order less than a month ago, the Pheu Thai Party swiftly consolidated support for its new, less experienced leader, Paetongtarn, who was subsequently elected as prime minister by parliament. At 38, she is Thailand's youngest prime minister and the fourth member of her billionaire family, as well as the second woman, to hold the position. Paetongtarn is the daughter of the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who remains a significant influence within the party.
The new government has severed ties with the military-aligned Palang Pracharat party and has incorporated its long-time rival, the Democrat Party, into the coalition.
