Thai PM candidate keen to get back to campaigning two days after giving birth
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a leading candidate in the upcoming Thai election, has said she is keen to resume campaigning days after giving birth.
Speaking at a press conference held at a hospital in Bangkok, Paetongtarn said she remained confident that her Pheu Thai party would win a landslide victory.
“We need to make the landslide happen for Pheu Thai so we can change the country real fast, immediately. If Pheu Thai can form the government and select the prime minister from Pheu Thai, all the policies can be delivered to the people,” she said.
Paetongtarn, who is the daughter of the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has ranked strongly in polling, and parties associated with the family have won the most seats in every election for the past two decades.
However, Thaksin is a polarising figure. While he has strong support in the north and north-east, he is strongly opposed by the military establishment. He was ousted in a coup in 2006, and Paetongtarn’s aunt Yingluck Shinawatra was removed from office by a court ruling in 2014. Both remain in exile to avoid legal charges.
Speaking on Wednesday, Paetongtarn played down remarks by her father, who had responded to the birth of his seventh grandchild by repeating that he wanted to return to Thailand – a prospect some fear would lead to instability.
His comments were only a natural thing for a grandfather to say, Paetongtarn said, adding that he was “very happy and excited”. “Dad wants to come back to take care of his grandkids. He didn’t say he wants to be prime minister,” she said.
If Thaksin were to return, the decision would not involve politics, she said.
Paetongtarn’s newborn, Prutthasin Sooksawas, nicknamed Thasin, was briefly brought into the room in a rolling incubator and displayed to the media. Paetongtarn campaigned through much of her pregnancy, video-calling into rallies when she was no longer able to travel.
“I believe good things come along with children,” she said, sitting beside her husband, Pidok Sooksawas. “I believe that children are my secret power to work, and to lead everyday life.”
Paetongtarn and her party have ranked highly in polling, but even if they win the most seats in next month’s election it may not be enough for her to become prime minister.
After the 2014 coup, a new constitution was passed and the military appointed 250 senators, who play a role in selecting the prime minister. In the last election in 2019, they backed Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the coup. He is running for re-election.
If Pheu Thai fails to achieve a landslide, it may need to form a coalition with other parties, and it is possible it could make a deal with Move Forward, the most progressive party, which has spoken openly about issues such as reform of the military and of the lesemajesty law.
It has been catching up with Pheu Thai in polling, and its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, ranked ahead of Paetongtarn in a recent survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, with 35.4% compared with her 29.2%.
Asked about a Move Forward alliance, Paetongtarn said Pheu Thai would join “with parties that support our policies” and ruled out militarybacked rivals.
“I’d like to ask the Thai people to remain firm, because this vote is not like any other,” she said. “Thailand cannot just hope for the best any more. Thailand needs change, and only the Pheu Thai party is the best answer for the Thai people now.”