PM bid nipped in the bud for Thai king’s sister
BANGKOK: A new Thai political party vowed on Saturday to obey a command from the king blocking the candidacy of a princess for prime minister in a dramatic reversal that appeared to boost the junta’s chances ahead of March elections.
The announcement effectively blocks Princess Ubolratana’s unprecedented bid for the premiership and comes after an extraordinary rebuke of the candidacy by her younger brother, King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
The Thai Raksa Chart party, affiliated with the powerful Shinawatra political clan, announced the princess as their candidate on Friday morning.
The move looked to rattle the status quo and threaten the ambitions of the junta that has ruled Thailand since it toppled the administration of Yingluck Shinawatra in a 2014 coup.
But the Thai king torpedoed the bid in a sharply worded statement the same day that said bringing senior royal family members into politics is against tradition, national culture and “highly inappropriate”.
Thai Raksa Chart responded swiftly, cancelling a campaign event on Saturday and issuing a st atement saying i t would respect “tradition and royal customs”.
“Thai Raksa Chart party complies with the royal command.” it said.
Thailand has some of the most severe lese majeste laws in the world and the king’s word is considered final.