Thai PM candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra resumes campaign 2 days after giving birth: ‘children are my secret power’
- Paetongtarn Shinawatra said her new baby boy wouldn’t affect her ability to rally support for her Pheu Thai Party with just under two weeks to go before the polls
- Shinawatra and the Pheu Thai Party have consistently topped opinion polls as Thailand’s favoured prime minister candidate and next government
“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.”
The newborn, Prutthasin Sooksawas, was brought into the room in a rolling incubator and displayed briefly to the media before being moved out again.
He lives abroad to escape a prison term for abuse of power, a conviction he has decried as politically motivated.
Paetongtarn played down the significance of the message, saying it was just a natural expression of a grandfather who was “very happy and excited”.
Thaksin is a popular but divisive figure of Thai politics, and there has been concern that his return could be destabilising.
“Of course, the things he said would have a political effect,” she said. “However, as a family, I think there’s nothing wrong to hope for that, especially when there’s a good thing happening to the family.”
Paetongtarn campaigned throughout her pregnancy. She and the Pheu Thai Party have consistently topped the opinion polls as Thailand’s favoured prime minister candidate and next government. She took the opportunity Wednesday to underline that she was 100 per cent confident of a landslide victory.
“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.”
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Analysts have complimented Paetongtarn on her confident public performances, though the residual popularity of her father remains a factor behind her popularity, especially among lower-class Thais. Thaksin, a populist billionaire, championed poor people during his years in power and reaped the benefits at election time.
Even if the Pheu Thai Party secures a big win at the May 14 general election, there is no guarantee Paetongtarn will become prime minister. The top post is selected in a vote involving both houses of Parliament.
That includes the Senate, which was appointed by the junta led by current prime minister and candidate Prayuth Chan-ocha, rather than by the public. Prayuth won all the senators’ votes after the 2019 election.
