webfact Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 Princess Nominated To Lead Thailand In Election Shocker By Todd Ruiz, Editor File photo of Princess Ubolratana released by the Royal Household Bureau. BANGKOK — Ubolratana Mahidol, the eldest child of the late King Bhumibol, was nominated Friday to be Thailand’s next prime minister. In a stunning move that immediately remade the political landscape going into next month’s election, Ubolratana was nominated for the post by a party aligned with a fugitive former prime minister. It is the first time a close member of the royal family has sought political office in the kingdom’s 86 years as a constitutional monarchy. Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2019/02/08/princess-nominated-to-lead-thailand-in-election-shocker/ -- © Copyright Khaosod English 2019-02-08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 Thai king's elder sister to contest March 24 election as PM candidate BANGKOK (Reuters) - The sister of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been declared as a leading prime ministerial candidate for a party loyal to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in March 24 elections, registration papers showed on Friday. Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Varnavadi, 67, broke the long-standing tradition of Thai royalty staying out of politics by entering the election in an unprecedented move. Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932 but the royal family has wielded great influence and commanded the devotion of millions. The king's eldest sister has registered as a candidate for the Thai Raksa Chart party, an off-shoot of the Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai Party. The election is seen as a battle between Thaksin's populists and allies and the royalist-military establishment. (Reporting by Kay Johnson; Editing by Paul Tait) -- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 Princess is Thai Raksa Chart’s sole candidate for Prime Minister By The Nation Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi Princess Ubolratana, who relinquished her royal status in 1972, was named on Friday by the Thai Raksa Chart Party, a major ally of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as its sole candidate to be the next Prime Minister. While the constitution allows parties to include a maximum of three people in their list of PM candidates, Thai Raksa Chart submitted a list containing only the princess’s name to the Election Commission. Party leader Preechaphol Pongpanit said that everything was in accordance with the Constitution - the fact that an immediate member of the royal family was now Thai Raksa Chart’s candidate for Prime Minister would not give it any advantage over its rivals, he said. Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi is the eldest daughter of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and older sister of HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Her candidacy will only become official after the EC has verified and approved her eligibility to stand for PM, according to Preechaphol. “One of the party members proposed her name during an executive meeting,” he said. “And she was kind and accepted our invitation.” Princess Ubolratana posted details of her recent work in the north to her Instagram account on Friday morning. The post included the message: “We’ll walk together.” It is the first time in recent Thai political history that an immediate member of the Royal Family has taken part in parliamentary politics but Ubolratana has shown a strong connection with the Shinawatra clan for a long time. Thaksin was toppled from the premiership by a military coup in 2006, while his sister Yingluck Shinawatra was ousted by another coup in 2014. That coup was led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who has also been listed by the Phalang Pracharat Party as its PM candidate in the March 24 election. Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30363759 -- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 Paiboon challenges Princess' nomination By The Nation Thai Raksa Chart Party's leader Preechaphol Pongpanit submits on Friday the party's list of prime minister candidate to the Election Commission. His sole candidate is Princess Ubolratana.//Pramote Putthaisong A leader of the People’s Reform Party asked the Election Commission on Friday to rule whether the nomination of His Majesty the King’s eldest sister for the prime minister's job breached electoral laws. Paiboon Nititawan said the Thai Raksa Chart Party’s nomination of Princess Ubolratana might violate a law preventing political parties from relying on the monarchy in their campaigning. Thai Raksa Chart shocked the country earlier Friday by submitting the Princess’ name to the commission as its sole candidate for prime minister. Rumours had spread in recent days that the Princess might jump into politics and standing for prime minister in the March 24 election. Princess Ubolratana relinquished her royal status in 1972 after marrying an American. Thai Raksa Chart is allied to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has remained politically active since his ouster in the 2006 coup and often expressed his wish to return home from self-imposed exile. Party leader Preechaphol Pongpanit said the nomination adhered to constitutional rules. The Princess' candidacy would only become official after the EC verifies her eligibility to stand for PM, Preechaphol said. “One of the party members proposed her name during an executive meeting,” he said. “And she was kind enough to accept our invitation.” Paiboon of the People’s Reform Party asked the EC to deliberate urgently, citing a key passage of the Constitution placing the monarchy above politics and remaining politically neutral. In an apparent reference to the Princess having relinquished her royal title, Paiboon said the monarchy was not based on title but rather on birth. Asked whether the Princess had agreed to apply for the candidacy, Paiboon declined to answer. "Today I came here only to ask for the EC to investigate the Thai Raksa Chart party," he said. He said he would not want to see Thai Raksa Chart dissolved over the matter. Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30363765 -- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 8, 2019 Author Share Posted February 8, 2019 The Princess who would be Prime Minister By The Nation Princess Ubolratana, who relinquished her royal status in 1972, was named on Friday by the Thai Raksa Chart Party, a major ally of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as its sole candidate to be the next Prime Minister. Ubolratana, 67, is the eldest child of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit and older sister of the current monarch, King Maha Vajiralongkorn. She relinquished her royal title in 1972 when she married an American, Peter Jensen and changed her named to Julie Jensen. She has two daughter, Ploypailin and Sirikitiya Jensen, and one son, Poom Jensen, who passed away in the 2004 Tsunami tragedy that swept through Phang-nga’s Ban Nam Khem. After her divorce in the late 1998, the princess returned to Thailand and received a royal designation. She has a higher media profile than any of her siblings – she founded an anti-drug campaign under her “To Be Number One” Foundation in 2002 and since then it has gained more than 31 million members, mostly young people, throughout the Kingdom. She has also appeared in Thai movies and television and has an Instagram page with about 100,000 followers. Meanwhile the Princess, as the Kingdom’s culture ambassador, has been promoting the film and tourism industries overseas for more than a decade. Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30363766 -- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoop1130 Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 Ubolratana 'deeply touched,' pledges to lead Thais to prosperity By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter A screenshot of Ubolratana's Instagram post. BANGKOK — Speaking for the first time since she accepted the nomination to be Thailand’s next prime minister, former princess Ubolratana thanked her supporters and vowed to lead the country toward a golden age. In an online post titled “Thank you,” the former royalty said she is exercising her political rights as a commoner by contending atop Thai Raksa Chart Party’s ticket. The 67-year-old surrendered royal titles when she married an American in the 1970s, though she remains revered by many as a tul kramom, an honorific roughly equivalent to princess. Full Story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2019/02/08/ubolratana-deeply-touched-pledges-to-lead-thais-to-prosperity/ -- © Copyright Khaosod English 2019-02-08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoop1130 Posted February 8, 2019 Share Posted February 8, 2019 I'm 'now a commoner' candidate : Princess Ubolratana File photo : Princess Ubolratana Princess Ubolratana, the sole Thai Raksa Chart party candidate for premiership, said on Friday that she wanted to use her rights and freedoms under the Constitution as a commoner. The Princess, the eldest sister of HM the King, said in “nichax”, her Instagram account, that she had already relinquished her royal status and is now a commoner. This is her first reaction since the party submitted her name to the Election Commission as required by the Constitution for the upcoming March 24 election. Her candidacy came as a shock as the Thai monarchy has never been directly involved in politics. “For the Thai Raksa Chart party to nominate me to be a candidate for prime minister is a display of rights and freedoms and shows that I have no privileges over the Thai public under the current charter,” she said. Her acts, she wrote, have been done with sincerity, determination and sacrifices to bring the country to prosperity. She also thanked supporters and said she was grateful for the love she has been shown, adding that she wanted to see people have the right to happiness in the country. Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30363777 -- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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