The 36-year-old is the expected prime ministerial candidate for the Pheu Thai Party, an incarnation of the Thai Rak Thai Party founded by her father and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006. Her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra, who was also elected as prime minister in 2011, was similarly ousted in a 2014 military coup staged by Prayut and his team. Both Thaksin and Yingluck live in exile after fleeing corruption charges that have been labeled by some analysts as politically motivated. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, youngest daughter of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, gestures during the Pheu Thai party's annual meeting in Bangkok in April. Photo: Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP