Top candidate for Thai PM gives birth two weeks before elections

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leader of the opposition Pheu Thai party, announces the birth of a son on Instagram.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a leading candidate to become Thailand’s next prime minister, gave birth to a boy two weeks before election day.

Paetongtarn, who leads the opposition Pheu Thai party, announced the birth of Phrithasin Suksawat on Instagram with a photo from the hospital.

“Thanks for all the support,” the 36-year-old wrote to her more than half a million followers. “Wait for mom to recover first, then she’ll meet the press.”

The newborn is Paetongtarn’s second child. In the photo, he was seen wrapped in a pale yellow blanket with his father’s arm around him.

Paetongtarn has been the voters’ first or second choice for prime minister since the start of the campaign. She has traded places with Pita Limjaroenrat of the progressive Move Forward Party in polls.

Recent polls have given opposition parties major leads ahead of the May 14 general election, which could spell trouble for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who first came to power as army chief after overthrowing the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra, the aunt of Paetongtarn, had deposed.

Paetongtarn’s father and Yingluck’s brother, former telecommunications magnate Thaksin Shinawatra, was himself ousted as prime minister in a 2006 military coup. Both Thaksin and Yingluck are living in self-imposed exile to avoid being sentenced to prison, their allies say meant to prevent their political comeback.

Prayuth, who became civilian prime minister after the 2019 election, came in fourth place in a mid-April poll for the favored prime ministerial candidate with 13.72 percent support.

However, Prayuth can get help from the 250-seat Senate, whose nominees were approved by the military junta that Prayuth led for five years.

The Senate also votes for Prime Minister, so it is possible that the leader of the largest party in the 500-seat elected lower house will be denied the top job if the Senate votes with minority parties.