Thailand’s election commission quashes Princess Ubolratana’s prime ministerial bid

Royally appointed body formally blocks the princess’ bid to enter politics, aligned with the Shinawatra clan

Reaction to the veto has been mixed, with some saying it bodes ill for the March 24 election’s hopes of returning democracy to junta-led Thailand

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Thai Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya, elder sister of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has been barred from entering politics. Photo: EPA

Published: 5:06pm, 11 Feb 2019Updated: 1:49pm, 21 Mar 2019

Thailand’s royally appointed Election Commission on Monday formally blocked Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya’s prime ministerial bid, days after her brother King Maha Vajiralongkorn issued a rare order to denounce his sister’s unprecedented foray into politics.

The development fully extinguishes any chance that the audacious plan – hatched by the political bloc aligned to the powerful Shinawatra family – could yet receive the green light despite the royal reprimand.

The veto capped a day of furious online speculation about the next plot twist in the coup-happy kingdom’s latest political drama.

Amid online rumours of a fresh regime change – the country is already being governed by a junta after a 2014 putsch toppled a Shinawatra government – the military administration earlier on Monday slammed the speculation as “fake news”.

The Election Commission’s statement echoed the King’s royal command, issued late on Friday, which said 67-year-old Ubolratana’s plan to enter politics was against the constitution.

“All royal family members are above politics and are politically neutral,” the commission said. “They cannot hold political office because it would be unconstitutional and against the norms of democracy with the king as head of state, in accordance with the royal decree released on February 8.”

Thai Raksa Chart Party leader Preechapol Pongpanich with a document nominating Princess Ubolratana as a candidate for prime minister. Photo: EPA

Ubolratana stunned the kingdom when the Shinawatra-aligned Thai Raksa Chart party announced early on Friday that she had accepted an invitation to be its prime ministerial candidate in the March 24 general election – the first since the 2014 coup.

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