Lawmakers endorse Thailand’s first female prime minister

Thai lawmakers voted to make Yingluck Shinawatra the country’s fifth prime minister in as many years on Friday. Shinawatra, whose Pheu Thai party swept parliamentary elections on July 3, will officially become Thailand’s first female leader after King Bhumibol Adulyadej endorses her in a ceremony scheduled for later in the day. Shinawatra inherits a country split by years of sometimes violent unrest. She will likely face almost constant questions about the influence of her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who many consider the puppet-master behind her rise. Thaksin is living in self-imposed exile in Dubai.

Associated Press