Baku, August 16, AZERTAC

Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the Pheu Thai Party was elected as Thailand's 31st prime minister on Friday, according to Anadolu Agency.

Born in 1986, Paetongtarn secured more than the required 247 votes in the lower house of Parliament, which consists of 493 lawmakers in the Southeast Asian nation.

At 37, Paetongtarn, the daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is now the youngest leader of Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.

Her election to the top post follows the removal of Srettha Thavisin by the Thai Constitutional Court on Wednesday over an ethics violation.

Paetongtarn is the third member of the influential Shinawatra family to serve as prime minister of Thailand. Her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, also held the position but remains in exile.