The sister of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has joined the race to be the country’s next prime minister.
Princess Ubolratana Mahidol, 67, will stand for a party allied to divisive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, according to registration papers.
The unprecedented move breaks with the tradition of the Thai royal family publicly staying out of politics.
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Thailand’s election is scheduled to take place on 24 March.
The election is being closely watched as the first chance for Thailand to return to democracy after five years under military rule.
Who is Princess Ubolratana Mahidol?
Born in 1951, Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi is the oldest child of Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
After marrying an American in 1972, she gave up her royal title and moved to the US. After her divorce she returned to Thailand and once again started participating in royal life.
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The princess engages actively in social media and has also starred in several Thai movies.
She had three children, one of whom died in the 2004 tsunami while the other two still live in the US.
The princess has registered for the Thai Raksa Chart party, which is loyal to the controversial Shinawatra family that has dominated Thai politics for years.
Who else is running in the election?
The country’s current prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, also announced on Friday that he would be running for prime minister in the current election.
The army chief, who seized power in a military coup in 2014, will be running as a candidate for the pro-military Palang Pracharat party.
But the royal family is revered in Thailand and there are questions around whether any other candidate would want to challenge a member of the royal family.
What does this mean for Thai politics?
The March vote will be the first since Mr Prayuth took power in 2014, overthrowing the democratic government and ousting ex-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of Thaksin Shinawatra.
Both Mr Shinawatra and his sister currently live in self-imposed exile but still remain a powerful force in Thai politics, with many in the country remaining loyal to them.
The election is viewed as a battle between Mr Thaksin’s allies and the military, but the princess’ decision to run is likely to strike at the heart of the military’s strategy to remain a force in politics, according to the BBC’s Bangkok correspondent Jonathan Head.
In an astonishing move the elder sister of King Vajiralongkorn has submitted her name as the Prime Ministerial candidate for a party allied to former PMs Thaksin & Yingluck Shinawatra. As a royal, in reality, she cannot be opposed. This completely upends Thai politics.
— Jonathan Head (@pakhead) February 8, 2019
Source: bbc.com