EXCLUSIVE—Several
well-placed Thai and foreign sources say that when the Thai Raksa Chart
party announces its prime minister candidates in coming days, it is
likely to nominate Princess Ubolratana, the eldest child of the late
King Bhumibol and older sister of King Vajiralongkorn.
This would be a huge development because Thai Raksa Chart is one of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra's proxy political parties.
It was set up as an alternative political vehicle in case the junta dissolved Thaksin's main proxy party Pheu Thai over alleged infractions of electoral rules, and also to take advantage of the junta's anti-democratic new constitution which disproportionately rewards mid-size parties with seats in parliament and tries to prevent the biggest parties — above all, Pheu Thai — from winning too many seats.
During election rallies, leading members of Thai Raksa Chart have said that two of their possible candidates for prime minister are Chaturon Chaisang and Preechapol Pongpanich. Thai political parties can nominate three people as PM candidates and must submit their nominations by Friday.
Party officials are declining to comment on the possibility that Ubolratana could be a PM candidate.
One issue is whether she would be eligible. According to the organic laws, only those who voted in the last election, or who gave a good reason why they did not vote, can be candidates for prime minister. It's not known if Ubolratana voted.
The 67-year-old Ubolratana is a maverick member of the Thai royal family who remains very close to her brother Vajiralongkorn and also still has good relations with Thaksin. She meets Thaksin regularly in London, and she was photographed with Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra at the World Cup in Russia in 2018.
Traditionally, senior members of the Thai royal family have avoided taking any overt role in parliamentary politics, and have claimed to be "above politics".
It's extremely unlikely that Ubolratana could be a PM candidate for any political party — and particularly one of Thaksin's political parties — without the explicit approval of her brother King Vajiralongkorn.
It has long been rumoured that Vajiralongkorn wants to broker a "grand bargain" that ends the decade-and-a-half long red-versus-yellow conflict between Thaksin and the royalist and military elite.
If it's confirmed that Ubolratana is a PM candidate for one of Thaksin's parties it would be a remarkable development, suggesting that the king is trying to broker a political settlement ahead of his coronation in May.
Ubolratana was King Bhumibol's favourite child during the 1950s and 1960s. After going to university at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she broke her father's heart and caused a family rift by choosing to marry an American fellow student, Peter Ladd Jensen, in 1972.
Bhumibol stripped her of her royal titles following the marriage and Ubolratana lived in California as a suburban housewife with Jensen for 26 years, taking the name Julie Jensen. The couple had three children — daughter Ploypailin Mahidol Jensen, born in 1981; son Bhumi Jensen, born in 1983, who was autistic and was killed in the devastating tsunami of December 2004; and Sirikitiya Mai Jensen, born in 1985.
Ubolratana divorced Jensen in 1998 and returned to Thailand in 2001. Although her father stripped her of her titles, the official Thai media and the palace treat her as royalty.
It’s important to note that Thai Raksa Chart has not yet submitted its nominees for PM, so the situation could change. We will know for sure in a few days.
This would be a huge development because Thai Raksa Chart is one of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra's proxy political parties.
It was set up as an alternative political vehicle in case the junta dissolved Thaksin's main proxy party Pheu Thai over alleged infractions of electoral rules, and also to take advantage of the junta's anti-democratic new constitution which disproportionately rewards mid-size parties with seats in parliament and tries to prevent the biggest parties — above all, Pheu Thai — from winning too many seats.
During election rallies, leading members of Thai Raksa Chart have said that two of their possible candidates for prime minister are Chaturon Chaisang and Preechapol Pongpanich. Thai political parties can nominate three people as PM candidates and must submit their nominations by Friday.
Party officials are declining to comment on the possibility that Ubolratana could be a PM candidate.
One issue is whether she would be eligible. According to the organic laws, only those who voted in the last election, or who gave a good reason why they did not vote, can be candidates for prime minister. It's not known if Ubolratana voted.
The 67-year-old Ubolratana is a maverick member of the Thai royal family who remains very close to her brother Vajiralongkorn and also still has good relations with Thaksin. She meets Thaksin regularly in London, and she was photographed with Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra at the World Cup in Russia in 2018.
Traditionally, senior members of the Thai royal family have avoided taking any overt role in parliamentary politics, and have claimed to be "above politics".
It's extremely unlikely that Ubolratana could be a PM candidate for any political party — and particularly one of Thaksin's political parties — without the explicit approval of her brother King Vajiralongkorn.
It has long been rumoured that Vajiralongkorn wants to broker a "grand bargain" that ends the decade-and-a-half long red-versus-yellow conflict between Thaksin and the royalist and military elite.
If it's confirmed that Ubolratana is a PM candidate for one of Thaksin's parties it would be a remarkable development, suggesting that the king is trying to broker a political settlement ahead of his coronation in May.
Ubolratana was King Bhumibol's favourite child during the 1950s and 1960s. After going to university at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she broke her father's heart and caused a family rift by choosing to marry an American fellow student, Peter Ladd Jensen, in 1972.
Bhumibol stripped her of her royal titles following the marriage and Ubolratana lived in California as a suburban housewife with Jensen for 26 years, taking the name Julie Jensen. The couple had three children — daughter Ploypailin Mahidol Jensen, born in 1981; son Bhumi Jensen, born in 1983, who was autistic and was killed in the devastating tsunami of December 2004; and Sirikitiya Mai Jensen, born in 1985.
Ubolratana divorced Jensen in 1998 and returned to Thailand in 2001. Although her father stripped her of her titles, the official Thai media and the palace treat her as royalty.
It’s important to note that Thai Raksa Chart has not yet submitted its nominees for PM, so the situation could change. We will know for sure in a few days.
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