Thai princess to run for PM against military candidate

In an unprecedented move, the sister of Thailand's king has joined the race to be the country's next prime minister.

Princess Ubolratana Mahidol, 67, will stand for a party allied to divisive ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, according to registration papers.

She is the first member of the royal family to run for the office and will face coup leader and head of Thailand’s military junta, Prayut Chan-o-cha, who said on Friday he would run to “maintain peace and order”.

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.

Ubolratana’s party, Thai Raksa Chart, is allied to former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006 but has led the party from exile. The party was created by Thaksin’s Peu Chart party after the military junta threatened to dissolve it. Ubolratana has openly maintained close ties with Thaksin.

Born in 1951, Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi is the oldest child of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

She attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and after marrying an American in 1972, she gave up her royal title. After her divorce, she returned to Thailand in 2001 and once again started participating in royal life.

The princess engages actively in social media and has also starred in several Thai movies.

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.

Supporters of the princess are flooding Thai social media with the hashtag #LongLiveSlender.

According to local media outlet Khaosod, the hashtag is a reference to a television show the princess appeared in, in which she jokingly said would rather hear the phrase "Long Live Slender" - a reference to her appearance - rather than "Long Live your Highness".

The March vote will be the first since Prayuth took power in 2014, overthrowing the democratic government and ousting ex-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of Thaksin Shinawatra.