Thailand EC disqualifies princess Ubolratana’s PM candidacy

Thailand’s Election Commission on Monday disqualified the sister of the king from running for prime minister on Monday, ending a stunning, short-lived candidacy for a populist party after King Maha Vajiralongkorn called the bid “inappropriate”.

The commission released the official list of parties’ candidates for prime minister without the name of Princess Ubolratana, 67, the older sister of the king.

Members of the royal family should be “above politics” and therefore cannot “hold any political office,” the commission said in a statement, echoing the wording of a public statement from the king on Friday.

The princess had accepted the nomination of Thai Raksa Chart party, made up of supporters of ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The March 24 election will be the first since a military coup in 2014.

Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932, but the royal family wields great influence and commands the devotion of millions of Thais.

Ubolratana’s shock nomination last week by the Thai Raksa Chart party, which is made up of supporters of ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, broke with a longstanding tradition of members of the royal family staying above politics.

She gave up her royal titles after marrying an American in the 1970s and has starred in soap operas and an action movie.