Thai party leader contrite for selecting princess Ubolratana as candidate for PM

A Thai political party leader expressed public contrition on Tuesday for selecting a princess as a candidate for prime minister. The move had provoked a rebuke from her brother, King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Thai Raksa Chart, a party linked to the powerful Shinawatra clan, on Friday proposed Princess Ubolratana as its candidate for PM for March polls. It was an unprecedented bid in Thailand where the royal family is seen as above the political fray. The king quashed the candidacy the same day it was filed in a royal command calling it “highly inappropriate,” prompting an immediate reversal from the party. The princess was disqualified on Monday by the Election Commission, which is currently discussing whether it should recommend that Thai Raksa Chart be disbanded, AFP said.