The candidate unlikely to elections in Thailand

Princess Ubolratana Mahidol is no longer just the sister of the King of Thailand.

She is now a candidate for the post of prime minister and will try to take charge of the head of the military junta, Prayuth Chan-o-cha.

At age 67, Princess Ubolratana took an unprecedented step to decide to participate in the first elections that her country will celebrate since the army, led by Chan-o-cha, toppled the government and seized power in 2014. .

Not only that, but it will be introduced by the Thai Raksa party, loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

And he will do so against the wish of King Vajiralongkorn, who described his decision as "inappropriate".

"The participation of a senior member of the royal family in political life, in any form whatsoever, is an act contrary to the traditions, customs and culture of the country and, therefore, is considered extremely inappropriate. "

The Thai royal family, part of a parliamentary monarchy, does not generally interfere with politics.

But Ubolratana Mahido, who resigned his title to marry an American, will break with tradition in the March 24 elections, which are seen as an opportunity for the country to restore democracy.

Who is Ubolratana Mahidol?

Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi was born in 1951 and is the eldest daughter of the popular king Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016.

He studied mathematics at the Mbadachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, and earned a master's degree in public health from the University of California at Los Angeles.

At MIT, he met Peter Ladd Jensen, whom he married in 1972 and had three children. One of them was Khun Bhumi Jensen, who was autistic.

Unlike the rest of the royal family, the princess spoke openly about her son's condition and special needs.

The young man died during the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia in 2004, killing more than 225,000 people. He had enjoyed the sea with his family. His mother created in his memory the Khun Poom Foundation to help children with autism and learning difficulties.

Three years earlier, Ubolratana Mahidol had divorced and returned to Thailand, resuming her participation in the life of royalty.

The princess is very active in social networks and has even played in Thai movies. One of his appearances in a television show appeared on the label used by his followers to show his support on the networks: #LongLiveSlender ("Long Lean Life").

According to local media Khaosod, it is said in the program that the princess joked that she preferred to be told "Long Life to Slender" instead of "Long Life to Her Majesty".

The Shinawatra brothers

The princess has been seen more than once with Thaksin Shinawatra and her younger sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

Thaksin was Prime Minister between 2001 and 2006, when he was overthrown by the military, who accused him of corruption. Since then, he has been exiled to the United Kingdom.

Yingluck was Prime Minister between 2011 and 2014, when the Constitutional Court of Thailand dismissed him for "abuse of power". His replacement was filed by the army 15 days later.

Politics is also exiled in the United Kingdom. Thai justice requested his extradition last year.

Although they live abroad, the two brothers are enjoying great popularity in their country, where they still constitute a powerful political force. So much so that 10 candidates changed the name in Thaksin and five others, in Yingluck to increase their chances to be recalled by the voters, according to the British newspaper The Guardian.

The electoral euphoria was manifested when, Monday, day of registration of candidates, more than 6,000 people showed up.

In 2016, Thais approved a new constitution drafted by the armed forces to perpetuate their influence and prevent Shinawatra allies from winning other elections.

Chan-o-Chan had announced last Friday that he would be the candidate of the party linked to the army of Palang Pracharat. But now that the princess has allied with the brothers, the scales have ceased to be on her side.

Thailand has one of the toughest laws in terms of criminalizing defamation against royalty, which in practice forces few people to dare to criticize them.

In 2007, for example, a man was sentenced to 35 years in prison for posting messages on Facebook that were considered insulting to the royal family.

In theory, the princess should not be able to benefit from these rules, but royalty is revered in Thailand and very few people criticize her. This led many to wonder if the candidates would want to continue in the race if they were to face a princess.

Some badysts have also warned that, since these laws have been interpreted very openly on other occasions, the media could be cautious when covering the elections.

The army has carried 12 strokes since the end of the absolute monarchy and the entry into force of the first constitution, in 1932.