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A popular candidate for Thailand’s prime minister said on Wednesday she wanted to return to campaigning, just two days after giving birth.
Speaking at a press conference at the hospital in Bangkok where she gave birth, Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the new baby boy will not affect her ability to rally support for the Pheu Thai party with just two weeks to go before the election.
“I believe that good things are inside children,” he said while sitting next to his wife, Pidok Sooksawas. “I believe that children are my secret strength to work, and lead me every day.”
The newborn, Prutthasin Sooksawas, was brought into the room in a roll-up incubator and shown briefly to the media before being moved back.
Paetongtarn is the youngest daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, the popular but divisive former prime minister who was ousted by a military coup in 2006. She is also the niece of Yingluck Shinawatra, whose government suffered a similar fate eight years later.
Paetongtarn campaign during pregnancy. He and the Pheu Thai Party consistently lead the polls as Thailand’s preferred candidate for prime minister and the next government. He took the opportunity Wednesday to stress that he is 100 percent confident of victory.
“I want to ask the Thai people to be firm, because this voice is like no other,” he said. “Thailand can no longer just hope for the best. Thailand needs change, and only the Pheu Thai Party is the best answer for the Thai people today.”
The exiled PM wants to see his grandson
Analysts praised Paetongtarn for his confident public performances, although his father’s residual popularity remains a factor in his popularity, particularly among poor and working-class Thais. Thaksin, a populist billionaire, has taken advantage of the poor during his time in power and made electoral gains.
Thaksin, who has been in self-imposed exile since the 2006 coup, tweeted Monday after the birth that he wanted permission to return home to see his grandchildren, ending the tweet with “See you soon.” He lives abroad to escape prison for abuse of power, a conviction he says is politically motivated.
Paetongtarn played down the significance of the message, saying it was just a natural expression of the grandfather who was “very happy and excited.”
Thaksin is a popular but divisive figure in Thai politics, and there are fears that a return could undermine stability.
“Of course, what he says will have political implications,” he said. “But, as a family, I think there’s nothing wrong with hoping, especially if something good happens to the family.”
Although the Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in the general election on May 14, there is no guarantee that Paetongtarn will become prime minister.
The top position is chosen by a vote involving both houses of Parliament. This includes the Senate, which is appointed by the junta led by current prime minister and candidate Prayuth Chan-ocha, rather than by the people. Prayuth won all senatorial votes after the 2019 election.
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