BANGKOK — In a special parliamentary session on March 26 at 10:00 AM, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra comfortably survived a no-confidence vote, receiving overwhelming support with 319 votes of confidence against 162 votes of no confidence and 7 abstentions. The vote came after two days of debate in the House of Representatives, presided over by House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha.
Out of 490 MPs participating in the vote, former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, the former Democrat Party leader, along with three others, abstained despite the Democrat Party being part of the coalition government.
This move was not surprising, as Chuan has long been a staunch opponent of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn’s father. When the media asked after the vote how the Prime Minister’s performance in the House was, Chuan smiled and said, “You have to go ask her father.”
Opposition leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut accused Prime Minister Paetongtarn’s government of prioritizing her family’s interests and those of her father. According to Natthaphong, the unusual coalition between Pheu Thai and its former conservative opponents was strategically formed as part of a political agreement to facilitate Thaksin’s return to Thailand.
The debate focused primarily on criticizing the Prime Minister, alleging that she allowed her father to dominate her work and the government. Opposition members also questioned Thaksin’s special privilege of being detained in a room on the 14th floor of Police General Hospital instead of prison.
Critics also targeted Paetongtarn’s performance during her first six months in office, citing falling agricultural prices, failure to address air pollution, controversial decisions regarding the deportation of 40 Uyghur detainees to China, delays in suppressing scammer operations, economic recovery challenges, and lack of progress on constitutional amendments. Personal allegations regarding potential tax evasion and questionable land holdings were also raised.
In response, Prime Minister Paetongtarn stated that she had clearly addressed all accusations and affirmed that all her past and present actions comply with the law. She emphasized that her activities can be verified by relevant agencies, including the Revenue Department and the Land Department.
She fired back at opposition members in several instances as well, such as pointing out that she’s not the only one accused of being dominated by her father—Natthaphong himself is allegedly dominated by Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the founder of the Future Forward Party which has now become the People’s Party.
In another case, when Rangsiman Rome denied ever joining the anti-Thaksin People’s Alliance group, Prime Minister Paetongtarn stated that she welcomed this new information. However, she added, “Now you’ll understand how someone who has been misunderstood feels.”
After the vote, she shared a message on social media expressing gratitude to all participants.
“I appreciate every vote cast today, both for and against. Each one will motivate me and my Cabinet to work even harder in service to the people,” she wrote.
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