Thai election commission disqualifies sister of king as PM candidate

Thailand’s Election Commission on Monday disqualified the sister of the king from running for prime minister, ending a short-lived candidacy for the populist Thai Raksa Chart party. King Maha Vajiralongkorn has 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, echoing the wording of a public statement from the king on Friday, Reuters said. The princess had accepted the nomination of Thai Raksa Chart party, made up of supporters of ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.