“Honestly, I’m confused. It’s a real shock,” said Kevin Hewison, an Australian political scientist who has been studying Thai politics for forty years.
In light of speculation Maha Vajiralongkorn may have supported the move, Hewison said the king was “presumed to have moved further away” from junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Honestly, I’m confused. This is a real shock
On Friday evening, Ubolratana characterized her candidacy as an act of “sacrifice and sincerity” in an Instagram post and sought to distance herself from her royal house.
“I would like to exercise the rights and freedoms to which I am entitled as a citizen, resulting from the constitution. The [nomination] this is my demonstration of my rights, without special treatment under the constitution,” she said.
The junta staged the latest coup on behalf of the palace in 2014, and the ruling generals have long portrayed themselves as guardians of the monarchy amid the country’s political turmoil.
Commonly referred to as “overhead” or Toon Kra Mom – an affectionate nickname – Ubolratana is the firstborn child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the late king who reigned for 70 years before his death in 2016.
Like her father, the princess enjoyed sailing, and the duo won a gold medal in the sport at the 1967 Southeast Asian Games.
After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973 with a degree in biochemistry, Ubolratana married U.S. citizen Peter Jensen and moved to San Diego to raise their family. This decision coincided with the resignation of almost all royal titles.
Jansen and Ubolratana had three children: Ployplayin, Poom and Sirikitya.
After her marriage broke up in the late 1990s, Ubolratana filed for divorce and returned to Thailand in 2001.
She returned just as billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra came to power as prime minister after contesting elections on a platform promising widespread reforms and a war on corruption.
Upon her permanent return, Ubolratana was given the title “Tunkramom Ying”, which means Daughter of the Queen Regent.
The 2000s were eventful for Ubolratana. She began her career as an actress, appearing in television series, including one with Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue. She also faced tragedy after the 2004 Asian tsunami claimed the life of her son, Poom.
Although a populist prime minister, Thaksin was condemned by urban elites – and reportedly by some members of the royal court – he maintained strong ties with Ubolratana. Currently in exile with his sister Yingluck, also a former prime minister, Thaksin was spotted with Ubolratana at last year’s world championships in Russia. Ubolratana also reportedly visited Thaksin in the UK.
Hewison said Ubolratana had shown a “red bias” in the past – or a tendency to support Thaksin’s “red shirts” – echoing previous suggestions that the ousted prime minister had a better relationship with the royal court than was publicly indicated.
“It’s all guesswork and guesswork, but that’s how it is with the royal family,” he said.
Thailand’s Raksa Chart party nominated Ubolratana as its candidate for prime minister – a requirement ahead of the March 24 vote. The party is widely seen as a proxy for the Shinawatras.
The clan’s important party is the Pheu Thai Party, which Yingluck led from 2011 to 2014, when current junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha led a coup against her government after yellow shirt-led anti-Shinawatra street protests swept Bangkok.
There was no immediate response to the princess’s announcement from Prayuth and the “yellow shirt” leaders.
On Friday, tons of of individuals took to social media to congratulate her.
“I’m comfortable to listen to this news, a brand new and fresh starting for all Thais,” wrote one Instagram user.
“It’s finally true. I’m crying,” wrote another user.
In a post published after the announcement, Ubolratana thanked the Thai people for supporting her political ambitions and signaled her intention to work “to improve the situation in the country.”
Is Thailand leaving the US thanks to Chinese arms deals?
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“I want each of us to have a chance, to have the right to opportunity and happiness in our country. “I would like to say that I have renounced my title and now I live as a citizen,” she wrote.
“Therefore, I would like to exercise my civil rights and freedoms under the constitution. I have agreed to be nominated by the Thai Raksa Chart party, which is my demonstration of my rights and freedoms, without any exclusivity in accordance with the constitution. I act on my sincerity and intention to sacrifice myself and call for the betterment of the country.”
She has previously used the platform to debate Bangkok’s smog problem and one in every of her pet projects, the fight against drugs in the dominion.
In January, a post that showed a video of the princess wearing drums to a song composed by her father caught the eye of local media.
Local observers say her approachable manner contrasts with the more reserved conventions of the country’s monarchs.
Thailand is chasing Chinese money, but at what cost?
Thailand is chasing Chinese money, but at what cost?
The long-term query – if Shinawatra’s faction triumphs within the elections and becomes prime minister – is whether or not blurring the boundaries between the palace and parliament can be a panacea for the country’s long struggle for power.
Also at issue is whether or not the country’s strict lèse majesté laws – which prohibit comments on members of the royal family – will apply to Ubolratana if she becomes prime minister.
Hewison said: “This raises interesting questions: Ubolratana has a royal title, but it is not the title of ‘house princess’ which she gave up in 1972. Can anyone criticize her if she gets the job? [And] Is this a palace attempt to control everything?”
As for Prayuth, seen until Friday as a probability to develop into post-election prime minister, analysts say it is just not yet the curtain as some have suggested on social media.
Observers say his chances are high slim if the selection of prime minister – to be chosen by 500 elected lawmakers and 250 senators appointed by the junta – is determined between the overall and the princess.
There was a glimmer of hope after loyalist Paiboon Nititawan submitted a request to the electoral commission to ascertain whether the princess’s candidacy violated rules prohibiting using the monarchy in campaigns.
Even if Ubolratana becomes prime minister, it’s unlikely that Prayuth “will ever be completely thrown under the bus,” said Thai political researcher James Buchanan.
“One of Prayuth’s scenarios is that he can be forced to campaign meekly against the princess, then almost actually lose, after which be given a seat on the Privy Council,” Buchanan said.
Thai political analyst Paul Chambers dismissed the prospect that the military – on the front and center of politics for a long time – had been “hurt” by the princess’s political intervention. He said that the precise faction of Prayuth and his top lieutenant Prawit Wongsuwon, Burapapayak (Eastern Tigers), could also be injured.
But “pro-king” People The (Kingsguard) faction ‘advantages from [Ubolratana’s] intercession,” said Chambers, a lecturer on the College of Asean Community Studies at Naresuan University.
