Thailand’s Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya seeking election as prime minister, turning campaign on its head
- No Thai royal has ever run for political office at the highest level
- She will run as the candidate for a party aligned with the exiled Shinawatras
The Thai Raksa Chart party, one of several parties aligned with the exiled former prime ministers Yingluck and Thaksin Shinawatra, said Princess Ubolratana – the older sister of King Maha Vajiralongkorn – had accepted its invitation to be the party’s prime ministerial candidate.
“She has agreed to be our candidate and given her experiences within Thailand and abroad, we believe she is the appropriate candidate,” the party’s leader Preechapol Pongpanich told reporters.
He added: “We play by the rules, everything we do complies with the law. There’s no privilege or exclusive right.”
The princess is not a member of the party and has not registered as a candidate, but the country’s newly enacted constitution allows for a prime minister who is not a lawmaker.
