In an unprecedented move, Thailand's Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi has been nominated as prime minister for the country's long-delayed general elections by Thai Raksa Chart, a party founded by allies of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The registration of the 67-year-old, the elder sister of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, as a candidate on Friday means this is the first time in the country's history that a member of the royal family is to become directly involved in politics and run for office.
The princess was stripped of her royal title when she married a US national in 1972. She returned to Thailand in the late 1990s after getting a divorce. Although her formal title was not restored, she is regarded and treated as royalty by people in Thailand.
Ubolratana is also known as a long-time friend of the Shinawatra family, which has an influence on the March 24 election through its proxy political parties, although they have not fielded a family member directly this time.
"The unpredictable nature of Thai politics just went up another level," Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay, reporting from Thailand's capital, Bangkok, said.
Add new comment